dust

/dʌst/

//dʌst// noun

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

"dust" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dust” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,557 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,557
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fine particles.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dust vs duty
50% similar
dust vs dusty
80% similar
dust vs duvet
60% similar

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

Key facts for dust
PropertyValue
Headworddust
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dʌst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,557
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dust” 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). dust 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 dust is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dʌst/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,557 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 21 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for dust, with forms such as "ddust", "dsut", and "dusst". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "duty", "dusty", "duvet", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dust, doust, from Old English dūst (“dust, dried earth reduced to powder; other dry material reduced to powder”), from the fusion of Proto-Germanic *dustą (“dust”) and *dunstą (“mist, dust, evaporation”), both from Proto-Indo-European *d… The correct English form is dust, spelled D-U-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fine particles.
  2. 2
    Fine particles.
  3. 3
    Fine particles.
  4. 4
    Fine particles.
  5. 5
    Fine particles.
  6. 6
    Fine particles.
  7. 7
    The act of cleaning by dusting.
  8. 8
    The act of sprinkling dust, or a sprinkle of dust itself.
  9. 9
    Earth, ground, soil, sediment.
  10. 10
    The earth as the resting place of the dead.
  11. 11
    The earthly remains of bodies once alive; the remains of the human body.
  12. 12
    The substance of the human body or mortal frame.
  13. 13
    Something worthless.
  14. 14
    A low or mean condition.
  15. 15
    Rubbish, garbage, refuse.
  16. 16
    cash; money (in reference to gold dust).
  17. 17
    A cloud of dust.
  18. 18
    A tumult, disturbance, commotion, uproar.
  19. 19
    A fight or row.
  20. 20
    A totally disconnected set of points with a fractal structure.
  21. 21
    Tiny amounts of cryptocurrency left over after a transaction due to rounding error.

Etymology

From Middle English dust, doust, from Old English dūst (“dust, dried earth reduced to powder; other dry material reduced to powder”), from the fusion of Proto-Germanic *dustą (“dust”) and *dunstą (“mist, dust, evaporation”), both from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, raise dust”). Cognate with Scots dust, dist (“dust”), Dutch duist (“pollen, dust”) and dons (“down, fuzz”), German Dust (“dust”) and Dunst (“haze”), Swedish dust (“dust”), Icelandic dust (“dust”), Latin fūmus (“smoke, steam”). Also related to Swedish dun (“down, fluff”), Icelandic dúnn (“down, fluff”). See down.

This word in other languages

polvo(Español)poussière(Français)Staub(Deutsch)pó(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddust,dsut,dusst,dustt,duts,udst

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dust - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddust1dsut2dusst1dustt1duts2udst2
Edit distance from "dust"

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 "dust"?
"dust" is spelled D-U-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /dʌst/.
What does "dust" mean?
As a noun, "dust" means: Fine particles.
What words are commonly confused with "dust"?
"dust" is commonly confused with "duty", "dusty", "duvet". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dust"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dust" is /dʌst/. 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 "dust"?
From Middle English dust, doust, from Old English dūst (“dust, dried earth reduced to powder; other dry material reduced to powder”), from the fusion of Proto-Germanic *dustą (“dust”) and *dunstą (“mist, dust, evaporation”), both from Proto-Indo-E... 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 “dust”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-U-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dʌst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “duty” - see the side-by-side comparison. dust vs duty
  • 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