Dunbar

/dʌnˈbɑː(ɹ)/

//dʌnˈbɑː(ɹ)// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"dunbar" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Dunbar” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,501. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,501
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A town in East Lothian council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT6778).

Corpus desk

Index EN-dunbar · Dunbar · English

Dunbar · rank #21,501 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,501
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dummies

Nearest frequency peer: dummies (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Dunbar”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Dunbar” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Dunbar vs Duncan
67% similar
Dunbar vs Dunham
67% similar
Dunbar vs Durban
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Dunbar
PropertyValue
HeadwordDunbar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/dʌnˈbɑː(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#21,501
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Dunbar”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Dunbarlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “dummies” (#21,500), “dung” (#21,502), “Dyson” (#21,503). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “Dunbar” is #21,501. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Dunbar (IPA /dʌnˈbɑː(ɹ)/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #21,501 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Dunbar, with forms such as "ddunbar", "dnubar", and "dubnar". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "Duncan", "Dunham", "Durban", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Historically Dynbaer. From Cumbric *dyn (“fort”) + *barr (“hill-crest, summit, top”). The correct English form is Dunbar, spelled D-U-N-B-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A town in East Lothian council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT6778).
  2. 2
    A number of places in the United States:
  3. 3
    A number of places in the United States:
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:
  6. 6
    A number of places in the United States:
  7. 7
    A number of places in the United States:
  8. 8
    A number of places in the United States:
  9. 9
    A number of places in the United States:
  10. 10
    A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how Dunbar appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. 1965 — In reply he sent Wilfrid to his town of Dunbar under the supervision of a sheriff called Tydlin whom he knew to be more cruel. — Eddius Stephanus, Life of Wilfrid, Page 107, 12ᵗʰ century. Translated from Latin by J. F. Webb.

Etymology

Historically Dynbaer. From Cumbric *dyn (“fort”) + *barr (“hill-crest, summit, top”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddunbar
  • dnubar
  • dubnar
  • dunabr
  • dunbarr
  • dunbbar
  • dunbra
  • dunnbar
  • udnbar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Dunbar - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddunbar1dnubar2dubnar2dunabr2dunbarr1dunbbar1dunbra2dunnbar1
Edit distance from "Dunbar"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Dunbar"?
"Dunbar" is spelled D-U-N-B-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /dʌnˈbɑː(ɹ)/.
What does "Dunbar" mean?
As a proper noun, "Dunbar" means: A town in East Lothian council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT6778).
What words are commonly confused with "Dunbar"?
"Dunbar" is commonly confused with "Duncan", "Dunham", "Durban". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Dunbar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Dunbar" is /dʌnˈbɑː(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Dunbar"?
Historically Dynbaer. From Cumbric *dyn (“fort”) + *barr (“hill-crest, summit, top”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Dunbar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dreamy#21,496Eiffel#21,506domino#21,493curses#21,484

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Donnelly9 variantsdeities9 variantscheeses9 variantshumming9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list