Duolingo

noun

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

"duolingo" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Duolingo” is uncommon English (frequency #77,622 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,622
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A language learning service or application.

Corpus desk

Index EN-duolingo · Duolingo · English

Duolingo · rank #77,622 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,622
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Duras

Nearest frequency peer: Duras (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “Duolingo”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Duolingo” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Duolingo
PropertyValue
HeadwordDuolingo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#77,622
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Duolingo” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).Duolingofalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Duras” (#77,623), “dually” (#77,620), “driveshaft” (#77,619). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “Duolingo” is #77,622. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Duolingo is uncommon English at frequency #77,622 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Duolingo, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: All senses ultimately from Duolingo, a language learning app owned by the American educational technology company of the same name; from duo- (“two”) + lingo (“language”). The first two senses formed via genericized trademark. The correct English form is Duolingo, spelled D-U-O-L-I-N-G-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A language learning service or application.
  2. 2
    A website, service or application that gamifies or simplifies learning, such as through having convenient, guided lessons and an informal (laidback) educational environment.
  3. 3
    A lesson on Duolingo.
  4. 4
    A language learning course on Duolingo.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Traditional language teaching has backed away from this a bit - especially at degree level - maybe there's been an element of elitism, snobbishness about the Duolingos and the Babbels that they're not for us, but we're becoming very aware of the modern way students want to learn.
  2. I speak languages other than English. Unfortunately, none of those are Gaelic (I am trying to learn through a Duolingo app, but it is very slow going). So, I tried to keep the Gaelic to a minimum and even the accents as well because I did not want to massacre a beautiful language with my ineptitude.

Etymology

All senses ultimately from Duolingo, a language learning app owned by the American educational technology company of the same name; from duo- (“two”) + lingo (“language”). The first two senses formed via genericized trademark.

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 "Duolingo"?
"Duolingo" is spelled D-U-O-L-I-N-G-O.
What does "Duolingo" mean?
As a noun, "Duolingo" means: A language learning service or application.
What is the origin of the word "Duolingo"?
All senses ultimately from Duolingo, a language learning app owned by the American educational technology company of the same name; from duo- (“two”) + lingo (“language”). The first two senses formed via genericized trademark. 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 "Duolingo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

disburse#77,603demeaned#77,589defensor#77,585Fabienne#77,663

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list