dyke

/daɪk/

//daɪk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“dyke” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,827 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,827
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A long, narrow hollow dug from the ground to serve as a boundary marker.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dyke vs dykes
80% similar
dyke vs de
50% similar
dyke vs dy
50% similar

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

Key facts for dyke
PropertyValue
Headworddyke
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/daɪk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#17,827
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dyke” 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). dyke 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 dyke is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /daɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,827 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 18 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 dyke, with forms such as "ddyke", "dkye", and "dyek". 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, "dykes", "de", "dy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: A variant of dike, from Northern Middle English dik and dike (“ditch”), from Old Norse díki (“ditch”). Influenced by Middle Dutch dijc (“ditch; dam”) and Middle Low German dīk (“dam”). See also ditch. The correct English form is dyke, spelled D-Y-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long, narrow hollow dug from the ground to serve as a boundary marker.
  2. 2
    A long, narrow hollow dug from the ground to conduct water.
  3. 3
    Any navigable watercourse.
  4. 4
    Any watercourse.
  5. 5
    Any small body of water.
  6. 6
    Any hollow dug into the ground.
  7. 7
    A place to urinate and defecate: an outhouse or lavatory.
  8. 8
    An embankment formed by the spoil from the creation of a ditch.
  9. 9
    A wall, especially (obsolete outside heraldry) a masoned city or castle wall.
  10. 10
    A low embankment or stone wall serving as an enclosure and boundary marker.
  11. 11
    Any fence or hedge.
  12. 12
    An earthwork raised to prevent inundation of low land by the sea or flooding rivers.
  13. 13
    Any impediment, barrier, or difficulty.
  14. 14
    A beaver's dam.
  15. 15
    A jetty; a pier.
  16. 16
    A raised causeway.
  17. 17
    A fissure in a rock stratum filled with intrusive rock; a fault.
  18. 18
    A body of rock (usually igneous) originally filling a fissure but now often rising above the older stratum as it is eroded away.

Etymology

A variant of dike, from Northern Middle English dik and dike (“ditch”), from Old Norse díki (“ditch”). Influenced by Middle Dutch dijc (“ditch; dam”) and Middle Low German dīk (“dam”). See also ditch.

Synonyms

ditchtrenchfossepuddlepondpoollakeletmeredencaveholepitbankembankmentearthworkbankembankmentdamleveebreakwaterfloodwallseawall

This word in other languages

dique(Español)fossé(Français)Graben(Deutsch)trincheira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddyke,dkye,dyek,dykke,dyyke,ydke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddyke1dkye2dyek2dykke1dyyke1ydke2
Edit distance from "dyke"

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 "dyke"?
"dyke" is spelled D-Y-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /daɪk/.
What does "dyke" mean?
As a noun, "dyke" means: A long, narrow hollow dug from the ground to serve as a boundary marker.
What words are commonly confused with "dyke"?
"dyke" is commonly confused with "dykes", "de", "dy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dyke"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dyke" is /daɪk/. 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 "dyke"?
A variant of dike, from Northern Middle English dik and dike (“ditch”), from Old Norse díki (“ditch”). Influenced by Middle Dutch dijc (“ditch; dam”) and Middle Low German dīk (“dam”). See also ditch. 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 “dyke”

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

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