---
title: "The Arabic letter د (dāl): sound, forms and words"
description: "د (dāl) is letter 8 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/dal"
language: "en"
direction: "ltr"
---

# The Arabic letter د (dāl): sound, forms and words

د, called dāl, is letter 8 of the 28 in the Arabic alphabet. How it sounds: d. It never joins the letter after it, so a word always breaks after د.

## How د is written

- Alone: د
- Start: د
- Middle: ‍د
- End: ‍د

## Arabic words that begin with د

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

- [دَرْس](https://fasaha.app/w/dars) — dars, lesson (A0)
- [دَقِيقَة](https://fasaha.app/w/daqiqa) — daqīqa, minute (A0)
- [دَفْتَر](https://fasaha.app/w/daftari) — daftar, notebook (A1)
- [دَخَلَ](https://fasaha.app/w/dakhala) — dakhala, to enter (A1)
- [دَرَسَ](https://fasaha.app/w/darasa) — darasa, to study (A1)
- [دُنْيَا](https://fasaha.app/w/dunya) — dunyā, the world; this life (A1)
- [دُخُول](https://fasaha.app/w/dukhul) — dukhūl, entering, entry (A2)
- [دِرَاسَة](https://fasaha.app/w/dirasa) — dirāsa, study; studies (A2)
- [دَوْلَة](https://fasaha.app/w/dawla) — dawla, state, country (A2)
- [دِين](https://fasaha.app/w/din) — dīn, religion; judgement, recompense (A2)
- [دِيوَان](https://fasaha.app/w/diwan) — dīwān, council; collection of poems (B2)

## Questions about د

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

د (dāl) sounds like this: d.

### Does د join the next letter?

No. د is one of the six letters that never join the letter after them (ا د ذ ر ز و), so the next letter starts a new shape.

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

د is letter 8 of 28, after خ (khāʾ) and before ذ (dhāl).

- Previous letter: [خ (khāʾ)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/kha)
- Next letter: [ذ (dhāl)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/dhal)

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