Durham

/ˈdʌ.ɹəm/

//ˈdʌ.ɹəm// name

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

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

The verdict

“Durham” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,883 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#9,883
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A county in the Northeast of England; in full, County Durham.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Durham vs durian
50% similar
Durham vs dram
50% similar
Durham vs dura
50% similar

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

Key facts for Durham
PropertyValue
HeadwordDurham
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈdʌ.ɹəm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#9,883
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Durham” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Durham is 6 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdʌ.ɹəm/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,883 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 24 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Durham, with forms such as "ddurham", "druham", and "duhram". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "durian", "dram", "dura", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old English Dūnholm, meaning "hill islet". In order to get from Dunholm to Durham, two major processes had to take place. Firstly, the n at the coda of the first syllable, dun, underwent dissimilation. Specifically, by influence of the m in the coda of… The correct English form is Durham, spelled D-U-R-H-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A county in the Northeast of England; in full, County Durham.
  2. 2
    A city, the county town of County Durham, England.
  3. 3
    A unitary authority of County Durham, which replaced the county council in 2009 in all of County Durham except Darlington, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees; in full, Durham County Council.
  4. 4
    An English habitational surname from Old English from the city in England.
  5. 5
    An outback town in Queensland, Australia.
  6. 6
    A locale in Canada.
  7. 7
    A locale in Canada.
  8. 8
    A locale in Canada.
  9. 9
    A locale in the United States.
  10. 10
    A locale in the United States.
  11. 11
    A locale in the United States.
  12. 12
    A locale in the United States.
  13. 13
    A locale in the United States.
  14. 14
    A locale in the United States.
  15. 15
    A locale in the United States.
  16. 16
    A locale in the United States.
  17. 17
    A locale in the United States.
  18. 18
    A locale in the United States.
  19. 19
    A locale in the United States.
  20. 20
    A locale in the United States.
  21. 21
    A locale in the United States.
  22. 22
    A locale in the United States.
  23. 23
    A locale in the United States.
  24. 24
    A locale in the United States.

Etymology

From Old English Dūnholm, meaning "hill islet". In order to get from Dunholm to Durham, two major processes had to take place. Firstly, the n at the coda of the first syllable, dun, underwent dissimilation. Specifically, by influence of the m in the coda of the following syllable (holm), said n denasalised and lenited to the oral r, thus dur. Secondly, after a weakening of the vowel quality in the more weakly-stressed syllable holm, this ending was misanalysed as the similar-sounding toponymic suffix, -ham, meaning home or farm. Doublet of Duresm and Dunelm.

This word in other languages

Durham(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddurham,druham,duhram,durahm,durhamm,durhham,durhma,durrham,udrham

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Durham - 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.

ddurham1druham2duhram2durahm2durhamm1durhham1durhma2durrham1
Edit distance from "Durham"

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 "Durham"?
"Durham" is spelled D-U-R-H-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdʌ.ɹəm/.
What does "Durham" mean?
As a proper noun, "Durham" means: A county in the Northeast of England; in full, County Durham.
What words are commonly confused with "Durham"?
"Durham" is commonly confused with "durian", "dram", "dura". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Durham"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Durham" is /ˈdʌ.ɹəm/. 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 "Durham"?
From Old English Dūnholm, meaning "hill islet". In order to get from Dunholm to Durham, two major processes had to take place. Firstly, the n at the coda of the first syllable, dun, underwent dissimilation. Specifically, by influence of the m in t... 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.

Using “Durham”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-U-R-H-A-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdʌ.ɹəm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “durian” - see the side-by-side comparison. Durham vs durian
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list