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” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,557. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,557
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Fine particles.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dust · dust · English

dust · rank #3,557 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,557
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dramatic

Nearest frequency peer: dramatic (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “dust”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “dust” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

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.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around dust (IPA /dʌst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,557 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 21 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There is so much dust released during the process of laying ballast that the trackside operator wears a full face mask with respirator.
  2. Astronomers have previously considered that dust produced by the star was obscuring it, causing the steep decline in brightness.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "dust", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dies#3,554deck#3,552rail#3,579ugly#3,535

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

boost6 variantssuck6 variantsskill6 variantssexy6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "dust". Here's where to go from here.

  • "dust" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "duty". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,557 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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