---
title: "The Arabic letter ض (ḍād): sound, forms and words"
description: "ض (ḍād) is letter 15 of 28 in the Arabic alphabet: how it sounds, how it is written at the start, middle and end of a word, and Arabic words that begin with it."
canonical: "https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/dad"
language: "en"
direction: "ltr"
---

# The Arabic letter ض (ḍād): sound, forms and words

ض, called ḍād, is letter 15 of the 28 in the Arabic alphabet. How it sounds: an emphatic d, the letter Arabic is named for. It joins the letter after it, so it has four written forms.

## How ض is written

- Alone: ض
- Start: ض‍
- Middle: ‍ض‍
- End: ‍ض

## Arabic words that begin with ض

From the Fasaha dictionary, easiest first. Each word opens its own page with meaning, root and forms.

- [ضَوْء](https://fasaha.app/w/daw) — ḍawʾ, light (as in daylight) (A1)
- [ضَلَّ](https://fasaha.app/w/dalla) — ḍalla, to go astray, to get lost (B2)
- [ضَيْعَة](https://fasaha.app/w/daya) — ḍayʿa, village estate (C1)
- [ضَالّ](https://fasaha.app/w/dall) — ḍāll, astray, lost (C1)

## Questions about ض

### How do you pronounce the Arabic letter ض?

ض (ḍād) sounds like this: an emphatic d, the letter Arabic is named for.

### Does ض join the next letter?

Yes. ض joins the letter after it, so it has separate start, middle and end shapes: ض‍, ‍ض‍, ‍ض.

### What number is ض in the Arabic alphabet?

ض is letter 15 of 28, after ص (ṣād) and before ط (ṭāʾ).

- Previous letter: [ص (ṣād)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/sad)
- Next letter: [ط (ṭāʾ)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/tta)

[All 28 letters in the alphabet chart](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet-chart)