duopoly

/djuːˈɒpəli/

//djuːˈɒpəli// noun

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

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

The verdict

“duopoly” is uncommon English (frequency #56,718 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,718
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An economic condition in which two sellers exert most control over the market of a commodity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-duopoly · duopoly · English

duopoly · rank #56,718 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,718
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH duomo

Nearest frequency peer: duomo (-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 “duopoly”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for duopoly
PropertyValue
Headwordduopoly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/djuːˈɒpəli/
Letters7
Frequency rank#56,718
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “duopoly” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “duomo” (#56,717), “Dukakis” (#56,716), “DTC” (#56,715). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “duopoly” is #56,718. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

duopoly is uncommon English at frequency #56,718 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /djuːˈɒpəli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for duopoly in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *dwóh₁ From duo- (prefix meaning ‘two’) + -poly (suffix meaning ‘pertaining to the number of sellers in a market’), by analogy with monopoly. The correct English form is duopoly, spelled D-U-O-P-O-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An economic condition in which two sellers exert most control over the market of a commodity.
  2. 2
    The domination of a field of endeavour by two entities or people.
  3. 3
    A situation in which two or more radio or television stations in the same city or community share common ownership.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Modern examples of duopoly include the American markets for credit cards (Visa and MasterCard), smartphones (Apple and Google), soft drinks (Coca-Cola and Pepsi), and airplanes (Airbus and Boeing).
  2. In 2011, his spirit and body were shattered by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals. Last night, the stakes were just as high – even though the tournament is not out of the first week – because there is a creeping perception that the [Roger] Federer–[Rafael] Nadal duopoly is slowly giving way under pressure from below.

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ From duo- (prefix meaning ‘two’) + -poly (suffix meaning ‘pertaining to the number of sellers in a market’), by analogy with monopoly.

This word in other languages

duopolio(Español)duopole(Français)Duopol(Deutsch)

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 "duopoly"?
"duopoly" is spelled D-U-O-P-O-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /djuːˈɒpəli/.
What does "duopoly" mean?
As a noun, "duopoly" means: An economic condition in which two sellers exert most control over the market of a commodity.
How do you pronounce "duopoly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "duopoly" is /djuːˈɒpəli/. 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 "duopoly"?
PIE word *dwóh₁ From duo- (prefix meaning ‘two’) + -poly (suffix meaning ‘pertaining to the number of sellers in a market’), by analogy with monopoly. 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 "duopoly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Dukakis#56,716demigod#56,703fluvial#56,746coochie#56,680

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list