dahlia

\da.lja\

/\da.lja\/ noun

The verdict

“dahlia” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #42,271 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#42,271
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Astéracée qui porte des fleurs simples ou doubles, dont les tiges naissent en touffe et dont les racines sont des tubercules.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dahlia vs Dali
50% similar
dahlia vs Daria
50% similar
dahlia vs Dahl
50% similar

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

Key facts for dahlia
PropertyValue
Headworddahlia
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\da.lja\
Letters6
Frequency rank#42,271
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dahlia” sits in French 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). dahlia 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 French entry for dahlia is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \da.lja\. Corpus data places it at rank #42,271 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for dahlia, with forms such as "adhlia", "dahhlia", and "dahila". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Dali", "Daria", "Dahl", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is dahlia, spelled D-A-H-L-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Astéracée qui porte des fleurs simples ou doubles, dont les tiges naissent en touffe et dont les racines sont des tubercules.
  2. 2
    Autre nom d’une gamme de colorant nommé violet de Hofmann ils se distinguent par un code alphabétique : dahlia B, dahlia BB, dahlia R, etc.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: adhlia,dahhlia,dahila,dahlai,dahllia,dalhia,ddahlia,dhalia

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dahlia - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

adhlia2dahhlia1dahila2dahlai2dahllia1dalhia2ddahlia1dhalia2
Edit distance from "dahlia"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dahlia"?
"dahlia" is spelled D-A-H-L-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is \da.lja\.
What does "dahlia" mean?
As a noun, "dahlia" means: Astéracée qui porte des fleurs simples ou doubles, dont les tiges naissent en touffe et dont les racines sont des tubercules.
What words are commonly confused with "dahlia"?
"dahlia" is commonly confused with "Dali", "Daria", "Dahl". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dahlia"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dahlia" is \da.lja\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dahlia" come from?
"dahlia" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “dahlia”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-A-H-L-I-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \da.lja\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Dali” - see the side-by-side comparison. dahlia vs Dali
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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