turtle dove

/ˈtɜːtəldʌv/

//ˈtɜːtəldʌv// noun

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

"turtle-dove" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“turtle dove” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of several (species of) birds, called by this traditional name, mainly in the genus Streptopelia, of the family Columbidae (doves and pigeons, which also included the extinct passenger pigeon, ...

Key facts for turtle dove
PropertyValue
Headwordturtle dove
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɜːtəldʌv/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “turtle dove” sits in English frequency

turtle dove falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

turtle dove is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɜːtəldʌv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for turtle dove in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English turtildove, turteldoufe (cognate with Old High German turtultūba, turtulatūba, turtiltūba, Middle High German turteltūbe, türteltūbe, German Turteltaube; German Low German Turtelduuv, Dutch tortelduif, Faroese turtildúgva, Icelandic turt… The correct English form is turtle dove, spelled T-U-R-T-L-E- -D-O-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several (species of) birds, called by this traditional name, mainly in the genus Streptopelia, of the family Columbidae (doves and pigeons, which also included the extinct passenger pigeon, dodo, and solitaire).
  2. 2
    A lover or couple as a pair.

Etymology

From Middle English turtildove, turteldoufe (cognate with Old High German turtultūba, turtulatūba, turtiltūba, Middle High German turteltūbe, türteltūbe, German Turteltaube; German Low German Turtelduuv, Dutch tortelduif, Faroese turtildúgva, Icelandic turtildúfa), Danish turteldue, Norwegian Bokmål turteldue, Norwegian Nynorsk turteldue, Swedish turturduva. The first element is from Latin turtur (“turtledove”) (compare the archaic synonym turtle (“turtle dove (bird)”); the word is not related to turtle (“reptile with a shell”).

This word in other languages

tórtola(Español)tourterelle(Français)Turteltaube(Deutsch)rola(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "turtle dove"?
"turtle dove" is spelled T-U-R-T-L-E- -D-O-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɜːtəldʌv/.
What does "turtle dove" mean?
As a noun, "turtle dove" means: Any of several (species of) birds, called by this traditional name, mainly in the genus Streptopelia, of the family Columbidae (doves and pigeons, which also included the extinct passenger pigeon, ...
How do you pronounce "turtle dove"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "turtle dove" is /ˈtɜːtəldʌv/. 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 "turtle dove"?
From Middle English turtildove, turteldoufe (cognate with Old High German turtultūba, turtulatūba, turtiltūba, Middle High German turteltūbe, türteltūbe, German Turteltaube; German Low German Turtelduuv, Dutch tortelduif, Faroese turtildúgva, Icel... 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 “turtle dove”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-U-R-T-L-E- -D-O-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtɜːtəldʌv/ (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
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