English spellings/Catalogs/D

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list  
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

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 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 -, -z, cf. diffûse, dí-

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

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 2jûice liquid *dûece

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 gemDŷmond 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 revulsiondiscússed 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

dòes do *dúz, cf. dôes female deer

dóg-êat-dóg

dógged verb *dógd: this próblem dógged us

dógged adjective *dóggíd: a dógged pursûer

dôe animal = dôh music, exclamation

dòes *dúz, cf. fãir do’s, *doôz

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

doúble rhymes with búbble

doûble entendre *doôblon-tóndrə

dòubt *dòut, cf. dòughty

Doúg Douglas = dúg dig

dôugh bake, money = dôe deer

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 designdråwer 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 fightjeŵel 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

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