dungeon
/ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/noun, verb
dungeon is spelled D-U-N-G-E-O-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dungeon means “An underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dungeon is dungeons.
How many letters and syllables are in dungeon?
| Letters | 7: D-U-N-G-E-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.7 times per million words; the 13,496th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is dungeon?
Dungeon appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dungeon?
- /ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/
Dungeon has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-dungeon.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-NaomiAmethyst-dungeon.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of dungeon
- dungeons plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- dungeoning participle, present
- dungeoned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dungeon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castle.
- 2
The low area between two drumlins.
- 3
obsoleteThe main tower of a motte or castle; a keep or donjon.
- 4
obsoleteA shrewd person.
- 5
An area inhabited by enemies, containing story objectives, treasure, and bosses.
- 6
A room dedicated to sadomasochistic sexual activity.
verb
- 1
To imprison in a dungeon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dungeon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | oubliette, cachot , donjon |
| German | Verlies, Kerker , Donjon |
| Portuguese | masmorra, calabouço, calaboiço , torre de menagem |
| Spanish | mazmorra, calabozo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does dungeon come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).