Skip to main content
PlainSpell

duty

/ˈdjuː.ti/noun

duty is spelled D-U-T-Y: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 51 times per million words in written English, the 1,993rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, duty means “That which one is morally or legally obligated to do” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of duty is duties.

How many letters and syllables are in duty?

Letters4: D-U-T-Y
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing51 times per million words; the 1,993rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is duty?

Duty appears 51 times per million words in written English, the 1,993rd most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce duty?

  • /ˈdjuː.ti/
  • /ˈd͡ʒuː.ti/
  • /ˈdu.ti/

Duty has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-duty.ogg, En-us-duty.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of duty

  • duties plural
  • dutie

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does duty mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    That which one is morally or legally obligated to do.

    Do your duty by me! -No, we don't have a duty to keep you abreast.

  2. 2

    The state of being at work and responsible for or doing a particular task.

    I’m on duty from 6 pm to 6 am.

  3. 3

    An excise tax; especially, one on imports or exports.

    customs duty

  4. 4

    obsoleteOne's due, something one is owed; a debt or fee.

  5. 5

    obsoleteRespect; reverence; regard; act of respect; homage.

  6. 6

    The efficiency of an engine in work done per unit of fuel; particularly, the number of pounds of water which a steam pumping engine can raise one foot by burning one bushel or hundredweight of coal.

  7. 7

    The act of urination or defecation, especially for a dog.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Duty in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchdevoir, obligation, service (that which one is morally or legally obligated…), travail (period of time), taxe (tax; tariff)
GermanPflicht (that which one is morally or legally obligated…), Schicht, Arbeitszeit (period of time), Zoll, Einfuhrsteuer (tax; tariff)
Portuguesedever, obrigação (that which one is morally or legally obligated…), plantão (period of time), imposto, taxa (tax; tariff)
Spanishdeber, obligación, cometido, menester (that which one is morally or legally obligated…), arancel (tax; tariff)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does duty come from?

From Middle English duete, from Middle English dewe + Middle English -te. Equivalent to due + -ty.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after duty