O'Donoghue

/ɒˈdɒ.nəˌhjuː/

//ɒˈdɒ.nəˌhjuː// name

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

"o-donoghue" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“O'Donoghue” is uncommon English (frequency #60,319 among 15,494 “O” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,319
frequency rank, English
15,494
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A surname from Irish; variant forms Donahue, Donoghue, Donohue, O'Donohue.

Key facts for O'Donoghue
PropertyValue
HeadwordO'Donoghue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ɒˈdɒ.nəˌhjuː/
Letters10
Frequency rank#60,319
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “O'Donoghue” 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). O'Donoghue lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

O'Donoghue is uncommon English at frequency #60,319 among 15,494 “O” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ɒˈdɒ.nəˌhjuː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A surname from Irish; variant forms Donahue, Donoghue, Donohue, O'Donohue.".

O'Donoghue doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Anglicized form of Irish Ó Donnchadha (“descendant of Donnchadh (“Duncan”)”). The correct English form is O'Donoghue, spelled O-'-D-O-N-O-G-H-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname from Irish; variant forms Donahue, Donoghue, Donohue, O'Donohue.

Etymology

Anglicized form of Irish Ó Donnchadha (“descendant of Donnchadh (“Duncan”)”).

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 "O'Donoghue"?
"O'Donoghue" is spelled O-'-D-O-N-O-G-H-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɒˈdɒ.nəˌhjuː/.
What does "O'Donoghue" mean?
As a proper noun, "O'Donoghue" means: A surname from Irish; variant forms Donahue, Donoghue, Donohue, O'Donohue.
How do you pronounce "O'Donoghue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "O'Donoghue" is /ɒˈdɒ.nəˌhjuː/. 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 "O'Donoghue"?
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Donnchadha (“descendant of Donnchadh (“Duncan”)”). 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 “O'Donoghue”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is O-'-D-O-N-O-G-H-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɒˈdɒ.nəˌhjuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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