dungeon

/ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/

//ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən// noun

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

"dungeon" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dungeon” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,504. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,504
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castle.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dungeon · dungeon · English

dungeon · rank #13,504 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,504
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dumbass

Nearest frequency peer: dumbass (-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 “dungeon”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dungeon” 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
Key facts for dungeon
PropertyValue
Headworddungeon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,504
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dungeon”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).dungeonlands 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 “dumbass” (#13,503), “dwell” (#13,505), “Dover” (#13,502). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dungeon” is #13,504. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around dungeon (IPA /ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,504 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for dungeon, with forms such as "ddungeon", "dnugeon", and "dugneon". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dongeoun (“keep of a castle; dungeon; abyss, cave, den; whirlpool”), from Anglo-Norman donjun (“keep of a castle; keep used as a prison; dungeon”) and continental Old French donjon (“keep of a castle”), from Vulgar Latin *dominiōnem, see… The correct English form is dungeon, spelled D-U-N-G-E-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castle.
  2. 2
    The low area between two drumlins.
  3. 3
    The main tower of a motte or castle; a keep or donjon.
  4. 4
    A shrewd person.
  5. 5
    An area inhabited by enemies, containing story objectives, treasure, and bosses.
  6. 6
    A room dedicated to sadomasochistic sexual activity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Year after year he lay patiently in a dungeon.

Etymology

From Middle English dongeoun (“keep of a castle; dungeon; abyss, cave, den; whirlpool”), from Anglo-Norman donjun (“keep of a castle; keep used as a prison; dungeon”) and continental Old French donjon (“keep of a castle”), from Vulgar Latin *dominiōnem, seemingly derived from Latin dominus (“master, lord”) perhaps via some figurative sense like “dominant building”. Doublet of donjon. The sense of “prison (associated with a castle)”, first attested in Anglo-Norman (13th c.) and apparently never in continental Old French, likely developed in combination with Old English dung (“underground prison cell”), whence Middle English donge (“pit, abyss”, senses that are also attested for Middle English dongeoun). The game term has been popularized by Dungeons & Dragons.

This word in other languages

mazmorra(Español)oubliette(Français)Verlies(Deutsch)masmorra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddungeon
  • dnugeon
  • dugneon
  • dunegon
  • dungeno
  • dungeonn
  • dunggeon
  • dungoen
  • dunngeon
  • udngeon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dungeon - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddungeon1dnugeon2dugneon2dunegon2dungeno2dungeonn1dunggeon1dungoen2
Edit distance from "dungeon"

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 "dungeon"?
"dungeon" is spelled D-U-N-G-E-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/.
What does "dungeon" mean?
As a noun, "dungeon" means: An underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castle.
What are common misspellings of "dungeon"?
Common misspellings include "ddungeon", "dnugeon", "dugneon", "dunegon", "dungeno". The correct spelling is "dungeon".
How do you pronounce "dungeon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dungeon" is /ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/. 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 "dungeon"?
From Middle English dongeoun (“keep of a castle; dungeon; abyss, cave, den; whirlpool”), from Anglo-Norman donjun (“keep of a castle; keep used as a prison; dungeon”) and continental Old French donjon (“keep of a castle”), from Vulgar Latin *domin... 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 "dungeon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dumbass#13,503fasting#13,514Cologne#13,484Hancock#13,525

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

cashier10 variantsIbrahim10 variantsautopsy10 variantslatitude10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list