Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

donjon

/ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.77 in modern English

Syllables: don-jon
IPA: /ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/

14

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The fortified tower and main residence of a motte or early castle; a keep.

Example Sentences

"It was a fortress of no great size, consisting of a donjon, or large and high square tower, surrounded by buildings of inferior height, which were encircled by an inner court-yard."
"‘Start bearding one of these barons in his own castle and next thing you’re being bounced down to the donjon keep.’"
"[…] the prison fortress called Qomr, a mound of yellowish brick rising up from the left back of the turbid river, in whose donjon by long tradition the warlord was obliged to lay his head."

Etymology

A variant of dungeon remodelled on its etymon, Old French donjon.

Origin

Source language: Old French

Word Breakdown

Root: donjon

Inflected Forms

donjons (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

dungeon

Synonyms

keep dungeon

Homonyms

dungeon

Questions

How do you pronounce donjon?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/.
What does donjon mean?: The fortified tower and main residence of a motte or early castle; a keep.
Where does donjon come from?: It is traced to Old French.

How to pronounce donjon

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