English spellings/Catalogs/D
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Common misspellings |
This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with D. To see a different letter navigate with the table above. The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z.
For a pronunciation key, click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title.[e]
D = Dêe person, river
dáchshund *dáxund
Dâeŵoo *Dâyû (Korean: 대우)
dâhlia cf. Dêlia (minimal pair)
Dail parliament = Dŏyle person
dâily day = Dâley person
daiquíri daî-
dãiry milk cf. dîary day
Dàlek
Dàli; but Salvador has a different vowel accented in the original Spanish: Dalí
Dalmâtian not spelt -on
Dalziél *Dêe-él
dám river = dámn hell
dámage
damnâtion ends like nâtion
dânger -njer, cf. clánger, hánger: ng, not 'j' sound
Dániel *Dányəl
Dânish
Dáphnê *Dáffney
daresây is one word in Î daresây meaning ‘probably’; otherwise dãre and sây are two separate words
Darfùr
dàrtbŏard one word
dāstardly cf. bāstard
dâta BrE; AmE dáta; Australian English dàta
dâtabâse BrE; AmE dátabâse one word
dåughter *dåwter
Dâvìês -z AmE; BrE = Dâvis
dávit
dàytime one word or hyphenated
dâze dazzle = dâys day
de, the first part of certain expressions, from French, pronounced *də (as in de lûxe or de lúxe), or Latin, pronounced dè (dè fácto)
déad death cf. dêed do
déadline one word
déadlock one word
déaf cf. déft
dêal
déalt
dêar loved, expensive = dêer animal
dëarth cf. dïrt (minimal pair)
debàcle
débris can be written with the French accent: débris; BrE *débrêe or *dâybree; AmE *dəbrêe
débt *dét; silent b
dèbut = début *dâybyû or débyû
dèbuted = débuted *dâybyûd or débyûd
décade years cf. decâyed decay, though some speakers do rhyme them
Decémber
dêcent
decídûous -yû
déckchair one word
declássè can be written as in French déclassé *dây-clássây
décimate
decîpher cf. cŷpher or cîpher
Déclan
dêed cf. déad
dêer animal = dêar friend, expensive
dè fácto two words, *dây-fácto; or it can be hyphenated to distinguish it from the many more combinations with schwa-pronounced de
defámatory
defâme
dêfect imperfection (noun)
deféct nation (verb)
defër cf. díffer
déficit
définitely
déft, cf. léft, déaf
defûse problem dê-, -z, cf. diffûse, dí-, -s
degénerate
dèign condescend = Dâne Denmark
Dêimos
deipnósphist
Dêirdrê = Dêidrê
déjà vu *dèzhà-vû
delây
deletêrious
Délhi India = déli delicatessen
délicacy
delícious -ísh-
delínêâte
delínquent
delîght -ît
Dêlius cf. Sibèlius
delíver
déluge -yû-
delûsion cf. illûsion
de lûxe or de lúxe
démagógue -g
demānd
démo
demócracy cf. hypócrisy
democrátic
dêmon
demür
demûre
Deng' Xiaoping = dúng manure
dénguê fêver
dénier weight, coin *dényər, cf. denîer deny
Dénis = Dénnis
Denìse -êez
denŷ
depéndant person = depéndent adjective
dépôt BrE *déppo, dêpôt AmE *dêepo
dè profùndis
dërby contest = Dërby England AmE; BrE = Dàrby person
de riguëur *dərigër, hard g
derîsive, though some say í and/or -zív
desálinate
descént down = dissént disagree
descrîbe dís-
désert sand
desërt leave = dessërt meal
désiccate is very commonly misspelt: -ss- would be expected after é; a similar case is párallel
Des Mŏines *Dəmŏin, *Dimŏin
despãir
despátch or dispátch
désperate cf. dísparate, séparate
desperâtion
despícable
despîse
despîte cf. dispûte
dessërt meal -zërt = desërt leave
dessërts just -zërts
détail BrE noun
detâil verb, AmE noun
detër
detêriorate
detërmíne
detérrent, -nce BrE; AmE detërrent, -nce
detrîtus
deûce 2 ≈ jûice liquid
Deutschmark *Dŏitchmark
dévastate
devastâtion
devélop rhymes with envélop verb, cf. énvelôpe noun
devélopment
devîce -ss, cf. divîde
dévil
devîse -z, cf. divîde
devôte
devotêe
devòut
deŵ morning = dûe owed, cf. do act *dû
Deŵey
déxtrous or déxterous
diabêtes *dîəbêtêez or -tíz
diabétic
diaéresis BrE; AmE diéresis *dî-éresis
diálýsis *dî-álýsis
diámeter *dî-ámətər
dîamond gem ≈ Dŷmond person
Diána *Dî-ánna
Diáne *Dî-ánn, cf. Joánne = Jô Ánn, etc.
dîáphanous
dîaphragm -ám
diarrhoêa BrE *dîre-rêar; AmE diarrhêa
dîary cf. dãiry
diáspora
dictâte cf. díktát
dîcy dodgy cf. Dícky, Díckie persons
didgeridoô
dîe death = dŷe colour
dîehard one word
diéresis AmE, BrE diaéresis *dî-éresis
dìêsel
dîet *dîət
díffer cf. defër
diffûse various -ss, give out -z
dígit
díktát cf. dictâte
dilémma
dilettántê
Dímbleby cf. Búmblebee
dímwit one word
dínghy boat, no g sound, only ng sound
díngy dark *dínjy
dînosåur
dîocese *dîəsíss
diphthêria
díphthong *dípthong
diplôma
díplomat
dîre cf. dêar
dírham
disassôciate disarrây
disāstrous -zā-, no 'e', cf. disāster; mürderous, cantánkerous, etc.
dísc record, circular = dísk computer
discòver
discrêet guarded = discrête separate
discrétion -éshən
discriminâtory
díscus
discúss
disequilíbrium
disgúst revulsion ≈ discússed talked
disingénûous cf. ingênious
Dísney *Díznì
dispátch or despátch
dispénsable
dispûte cf. despîte
disséction
dissént disagree = descént down
dissymétric dîssý-
dístribûte or distríbûte -yû-
divîne cf. Devìne
divîsive cf. divîde, dêvious, devîse, though some say divísive, cf. divísion
Djángo Reînhardt (unlike in French)
do *dû cf. dûe cause, time = deŵ morning *dyû
doable *dûwable
Dócherty or Dóherty same pronunciation: Celtic ch sound, same as Arabic kh as in Khàn
dôcîle AmE *dóssle
dôe animal = dôh music, exclamation
dòes do *dúz, cf. dôes female deer, fãir do’s, *doôz
dóff
dóg-êat-dóg
dógged verb *dógd: this próblem dógged us
dógged adjective *dóggíd: a dógged pursûer
dôle money = Dôle person
dóll model
dóllar
domâin territory = demèsne estate, domâine vineyard
Dominìca
Domínican Repúblic
dón clothes, academic = Dón person
dòne do = dún colour = Dúnn person = Dònne poet
dóner kebab = Dónner person
dônor give
dônut for dôughnút is strictly commercial and unsuitable in other contexts
doômsday doom = Domesday Book
dŏorstép one word
doôsra
doô-wóp, hyphenated; cf. whópping
dóppelganger, often with German umlaut: doppelgänger
dŏrmant
dóssièr silent French r; or e regularised to schwa: *dóssiər
Dostoyévsky, Dostoévsky
dót-cóm
doúble rhymes with búbble
doûble entendre *doôblon-tóndrə
dòubt *dòut, cf. dòughty
Doúg Douglas = dúg dig
dôugh bake, money = dôe deer, cf. dóff off
dôughnút *dônut
dòughty *dòwty
Doúglas *Dúgləss
doûr serious, one syllable ≈ doer do, two syllables
dòuse
dòve bird
dôve dive, AmE for dîved
dòvish
dòwnfall one word
downhíll one word
dòwry
dôze
dôzed doze
dòzen 12
dracônian
drāft AmE all meanings, BrE outline, money, group, US conscription = drāught
dràgon
dràma
drāught BrE cold, net, liquids, game, horse = drāft, cf. dròught *dròwt
dråw design ≈ dråwer pull
dråwback noun one word
dreŵ draw = Dreŵ person
dríll
drîly or drŷly
drível
drízzle
drôll
drómedary
droôp down = drûpe fruit
dròught *dròut, cf. drāught = drāft
drúnkenness -nn-
Drûze
dûal two = dûel fight ≈ jeŵel stone
dúchess cf. Dútch
dûe owed = deŵ morning *dyû, cf. do act *dû
Dúlwich *Dúllidge: in Dúlwich Cóllege both words end in -íj
dúmb-bell
dún colour = Dúnn person = dòne do, cf. dón clothes, academic = Dón Donald
Dúncan rhymes with drúnken
Dundêe
dûne sand
Dunkïrk
dunnô, colloquial contraction of dôn't knôw
dûplicate
Dúrham *Dúrrəm
dûring j-
dúst dirt = dòst archaic do
dústbin one word
dûty rhymes and forms a minimal pair with beaûty
duúmvirate -ûú-
dûvèt *doôvây
Dvŏrak *Dvåwzhàk (in Czech Dvořák)
dŷe colour = dîe dead
dŷeing dye = dŷing die
dynámic
dŷnamísm
dŷnamîte
dýs- bad = dís- negative
dýsentery
dysfúnctional
dysléxic