Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

don

/dɑn/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.60 in modern English

Syllables
don
IPA
/dɑn/
4
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A university professor, particularly one at Oxford or Cambridge.

British usage

noun

An employee of a university residence who lives among the student residents.

Canadian usage

noun

A mafia boss, especially one who is Italian or Italian-American.

noun

Any man, bloke, dude.

verb

To put on clothing; to dress (oneself) in an article of personal attire.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dem- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dṓmder. Proto-Italic *domanos Latin dominusder. English don From Latin dominus (“lord, head of household”), akin to Italian don, Sicilian don, Spanish don; from domus (“house”). Doublet of dom, domine, dominie, and dominus.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /dɑn/
  • British English: /dɒn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce don?
The recorded pronunciation is /dɑn/.
What does don mean?
A university professor, particularly one at Oxford or Cambridge.
Where does don come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce don

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “don”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɑn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “don”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “don” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.