# watchdog

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈwɑːt͡ʃˌdɑːɡ/ · frequency rank #22,858

## Definitions
1. A guard dog.
2. An individual or group that monitors the activities of another entity (such as an individual, corporation, non-profit group, or governmental organization) on behalf of the public to ensure that entity does not behave illegally or unethically.
3. Ellipsis of watchdog timer.

## Etymology
From watch + dog.

## Easily confused with
- **watching** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/watchdog-vs-watching)

## Common misspellings (13)
`awtchdog`, `wacthdog`, `watcchdog`, `watcdhog`, `watchddog`, `watchdgo`, `watchdogg`, `watchhdog`, `watchodg`, `wathcdog`, `wattchdog`, `wtachdog`, `wwatchdog`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/watchdog