Don’t deny it. Whether through Scrabble, Words with Friends, or Hangman, distinguishing yourself through daring gameplay can be a great diversion. Deliberate over the ideal D-word the next time you’re desirous of dialectical dominance. D is the fourth letter of the English alphabet and introduces many distinguished words. So, if you dream of developing your vocabulary, why not delight in words that start with the letter D?
We’ve created this list of words for you, organized by the number of letters in each word. Many of these words have more than one meaning. For simplicity, we’ve only listed one definition for each word. Keep in mind, this word list doesn’t contain every single English word that starts with D; however, it’s a useful introduction to this very special letter.
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defamatory – Adjective | Damaging to reputation, libelous or slanderous
dogfighter – Noun | A fighter pilot or plane that battles at close quarters with another plane
dystrophia – Noun | Any of various bodily disorders characterized by the wasting away of tissues
9-Letter Words
dashboard – Noun | An instrument or control panel on an automobile, located below the windshield
dragonfly – Noun | Nonstinging insects with horizontal wings of the order Odonata
duplicity – Noun | The quality or state of being double or deceitful
dyspepsia – Noun | Indigestion
8-Letter Words
dabchick – Noun | Any of several small grebes
dactylic – Adjective | Pertaining to a metrical foot with one stressed and two unstressed syllables
dandyism – Noun | The style or conduct of an excessively refined or vain man
drumlike – Adjective | Resembling a percussive instrument in either form or function
7-Letter Words
dabbing – Verb | Applying lightly or irregularly
dabbler – Noun | A person who does something superficially
dacoity – Noun | Robbery by a gang in India or Burma
damnify – Verb | To cause loss, injury, or damage to
defunct – Adjective | No longer existing or functioning
drizzle – Verb | To rain gently
6-Letter Words
dabber – Noun | A tool used by printers and engravers to apply ink
damask – Noun | Lustrous, patterned fabric made on jacquard looms
dammar – Noun | Any of various resins used as varnish, made from trees of the families Dipterocarpaceae and Burseraceae (also spelled damar)
damper – Noun | A dulling or depressing influence
damsel – Noun | A young woman
dapper – Adjective | Neat in appearance
dapple – Noun | An animal with cloudy patches of color
dickey – Noun | A false shirt front
5-Letter Words
dacha – Noun | A Russian summer cottage in the countryside
dally – Verb | To waste time
daman – Noun | A small region in the northwest of India on the Gulf of Khambhat
decal – Noun | A design or label made to be transferred onto glass
4-Letter Words
dace – Noun | A small European or North American freshwater fish
dada – Noun | An anti-establishment movement in art and literature that promoted accidents and irrationality
dado – Noun | The part of a column pedestal between the base and the cornice
daff – Verb | To act a fool
daft – Adjective | Foolish
dang – Adverb | Damned
dank – Adjective | Unpleasantly damp and cold
dawk – Noun | Mail delivered by relays of people and horses (also spelled dak)
daze – Verb | To dazzle with light
deet – Noun | Insect repellent
deke – Verb | To fake an opponent out of a position, especially in ice hockey
deli – Noun | A store that sells ready-to-eat food products
3-Letter Words
dib – Verb | To fish by letting the bait float on the surface
dif – Noun | Abbreviation for difference
dop – Verb | To dive
dor – Noun | One of several insects that make a buzzing sound in flight
dub – Verb | To assign a special title or nickname
dud – Noun | Clothes
dup – Verb | Abbreviation for duplicateb
2-Letter Words
da – Noun | A ducktail hairstyle
do – Verb | Carry out
By looking at this list, you may be able to identify some common prefixes. Words that start with “dis-” indicate the opposite or negation of the root word. Words beginning with “dia-” can involve “passing through” or “going apart.” Understanding these linguistic patterns can help you to intuit what a word means, even when you don’t have a dictionary handy.
Use words that start with the letter D to deliver delicate diagnoses and describe difficult data. Drag out a few dramatic dictums to drill home your ideas. Once you dedicate yourself to devouring this list, no word finder, word game, or crossword puzzle will defeat you. From do to daguerreotypist, you’ll be able to double down on D vocabulary, dredging up the best diction when the occasion demands it.
I’m an award-winning playwright with a penchant for wordplay. After earning a perfect score on the Writing SAT, I worked my way through Brown University by moonlighting as a Kaplan Test Prep tutor. I received a BA with honors in Literary Arts (Playwriting)—which gave me the opportunity to study under Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel. In my previous roles as new media producer with Rosetta Stone, director of marketing for global ventures with The Juilliard School, and vice president of digital strategy with Up & Coming Media, I helped develop the voice for international brands. From my home office in Maui, Hawaii, I currently work on freelance and ghostwriting projects.
