Five sovereign countries start with D: Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
You’re here for a clean list, spelled right, with zero guesswork. If you searched for all countries that start with d, you probably want one of three things: a quick study list, a quiz-ready answer, or a tidy way to fix a spreadsheet.
This page gives you the five sovereign states that begin with D, plus two “legacy” names you may bump into in older books and datasets. You’ll get capitals, context for each place, and a set of checks that stop mix-ups before they happen.
All Countries That Start With D
The table below starts with today’s sovereign states. Then it adds two older country names that still show up in archives and some school materials. If you only need modern countries, stick to the rows marked “Sovereign state.”
| Country Name | Status | Capital |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | Sovereign state | Copenhagen |
| Djibouti | Sovereign state | Djibouti |
| Dominica | Sovereign state | Roseau |
| Dominican Republic | Sovereign state | Santo Domingo |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Sovereign state | Kinshasa |
| Dahomey | Historic name (now Benin) | Abomey |
| Democratic Kampuchea | Historic name (Cambodia, 1976–1979) | Phnom Penh |
Countries That Start With D With Today’s Sovereign States
If you’re making a “country list” for schoolwork, trivia, a project, or a data label set, this is the short answer: there are five sovereign countries that start with D. Each one sits in a different region, so the names don’t bunch up in one corner of the map.
Below you’ll find quick, human-friendly notes for each country. Use them to keep spelling straight and to attach the right capital to the right place.
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, made up of the Jutland peninsula and many islands. Its capital, Copenhagen, sits on the islands of Zealand and Amager, connected by bridges and ferries.
Spelling cue: Denmark ends in “-mark,” like “bookmark.” If your list has “Danish,” that’s the demonym for Denmark. The currency is the Danish krone.
Fast pairing: Denmark → Copenhagen. Lock that pair in and you’ll dodge a lot of quiz traps.
Djibouti
Djibouti is a small country on the Horn of Africa, near the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. You’ll see it in geography notes tied to shipping lanes and ports.
Its capital is Djibouti City, often written simply as “Djibouti” in tables. That can look strange at first: the country and capital share the same name.
Spelling cue: Djibouti starts with “Dji-,” like “DJ.” Say it out loud as “jih-BOO-tee” and the letters tend to land in the right order. The currency is the Djiboutian franc.
Dominica
Dominica is an island nation in the Caribbean. People mix it up with the Dominican Republic all the time, since both names start the same. A quick fix is to pair Dominica with its capital, Roseau, which is short and stands out.
Dominica uses the East Caribbean dollar, shared by several nearby island economies. English is the official language, and you may see Creole used day to day.
Memory hook: Dominica is one word. No “Republic.” No extra adjective. Just Dominica → Roseau.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Its capital, Santo Domingo, is known for deep history and is a common stop in school geography units.
Language cue: Spanish is the official language. The currency is the Dominican peso. If you see “Dominican” in a sentence, it points to the Dominican Republic, not Dominica.
Fast pairing: Dominican Republic → Santo Domingo. This one pairing clears up most mix-ups on its own.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (often shortened to DRC) is a large country in Central Africa. Its capital is Kinshasa. In lists, you may see it written as “Congo, Democratic Republic of the” or as “Congo (Kinshasa).”
That alternate wording exists because there is another sovereign country with “Congo” in its name: the Republic of the Congo, whose capital is Brazzaville. Brazzaville and Kinshasa sit across the Congo River from each other, so mixing them up is a classic slip.
Quick rule: Kinshasa means the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brazzaville means the Republic of the Congo, which does not start with D.
Where D Country Names Trip People Up
The D list is short, but it’s full of look-alike wording. That’s why people search this topic again and again. Two traps show up most.
Trap one is the Dominica vs Dominican Republic pair. They share the “Domini-” start, but they are separate countries with separate capitals, currencies, and languages. If you attach Roseau to Dominica and Santo Domingo to the Dominican Republic, you’ll stop the mix-up cold.
Trap two is the Congo name pair. “Congo” by itself is not enough. You need the full name or the capital as a check. Kinshasa points to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brazzaville points to the Republic of the Congo. Only the Kinshasa one belongs on a D list.
Pronunciation And Spelling Notes
Pronunciation is not a test in most classes, yet saying a name once can lock in the spelling. Here are simple, classroom-friendly cues.
- Djibouti: “jih-BOO-tee” (the “Dj” start is the part people drop).
- Dominica: “dom-ih-NEE-kuh” (ends like “-nica,” not “-nican”).
- Dominican Republic: “doh-MIN-ih-kan” (the “-can” ending is the clue).
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: many people say “dee-are-see” for the shortcut DRC.
If you’re making flashcards, write the country on one side and the capital on the other. Then read both sides out loud once.
How To Confirm A Country List With Official Sources
When a teacher, editor, or dataset needs a “ground truth” list, it helps to lean on a standard that keeps names consistent. Two common references are the UN member roster and the UN statistical country code list. They don’t solve every naming debate, but they do give you stable spellings and consistent entries.
Start with the United Nations Member States list to see the recognized set of 193 UN members. Then use the UNSD M49 country and area codes page when you need a standard code tied to a country name.
If you’re working with school lists or trivia, the five D-starting sovereign states will match what most modern references show. If you’re cleaning older records, keep reading, because legacy names can sneak in and make totals look “off.”
Why Your List Might Show More Than Five
Most people mean sovereign states when they say “countries.” That gives you five entries for D. Still, you might run into extra D-starting names in three common situations.
Older textbooks and historical timelines
Country names shift over time. A timeline might mention Dahomey for West Africa, or Democratic Kampuchea for Cambodia during a specific period. Those names are not used as modern country names, yet they remain part of older material.
Data files that keep legacy names for continuity
Some datasets keep older names so past records still match the wording used at the time. That’s handy for archives, but it can make a “countries that start with D” filter return more than five hits. Your job then is to tag each entry as “current” or “legacy” so the output stays clear.
Sort order tricks and “The” placement
Some lists sort “Democratic Republic of the Congo” under C, because they invert the name to “Congo, Democratic Republic of the.” That’s not a different country; it’s just a catalog style. When you sort by the first letter of the displayed name, your count can change.
Spelling And Study Tricks That Stick
If you only need a quick study set, the goal is to keep each name distinct in your head. Try these short cues. They work well for quizzes and for recalling lists under time pressure.
- Denmark: think “Danish,” then jump to Copenhagen.
- Djibouti: think “DJ,” then remember country and capital match.
- Dominica: pair with Roseau; it’s the shorter country name.
- Dominican Republic: pair with Santo Domingo; it’s the longer country name.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: pair with Kinshasa; it’s the D one.
One handy habit: write the five names once, then rewrite them from memory a day later. That small repetition does more than rereading, and it takes two minutes.
Mini Checks For Schoolwork And Data Cleaning
This section is for the moments when you’re building a worksheet, editing a lesson plan, or cleaning labels in a file. A few simple checks can save you from a wrong answer that looks close at a glance.
Check 1: Count the modern set
If your task is modern geography, the count should be five. If you see seven or more, scan for legacy names like Dahomey or Democratic Kampuchea, or for inverted catalog wording.
Check 2: Tie each name to a capital
Capitals act like anchors. If you can match each country to its capital, you can usually catch a wrong country name fast.
- Denmark → Copenhagen
- Djibouti → Djibouti
- Dominica → Roseau
- Dominican Republic → Santo Domingo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo → Kinshasa
Check 3: Watch the Congo pair
If your source shows “Congo,” pause for one second and check the capital. Kinshasa means the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brazzaville means the Republic of the Congo, which won’t belong on a D list.
Quick Reference Table For Mix-Ups
This table is built for fast cleanup when you’re proofreading, sorting, or tagging a file. It’s placed late on purpose, so you can scroll to it when you need a reminder.
| Name You See | What It Refers To | Quick Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dominica | Island nation; capital Roseau | Pair it with Roseau to stop “Dominican” mix-ups |
| Dominican | Adjective for Dominican Republic | If you see “Dominican,” use Santo Domingo |
| DRC | Short form of Democratic Republic of the Congo | Use Kinshasa; don’t swap with Brazzaville |
| Congo (Kinshasa) | Another label for DRC | Keep it under D if you’re sorting by full country name |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | Library-style inverted wording for DRC | Still counts as a D country in normal wording |
| Dahomey | Historic name tied to modern Benin | Tag as legacy; don’t count in modern totals |
| Democratic Kampuchea | Historic name for Cambodia (late 1970s) | Tag as legacy; keep dates with the entry |
Copy List For Notes
Here’s a clean copy-ready list. It’s handy for notebooks, worksheets, and quick recall. It includes only sovereign states, since that’s what most people mean when they ask for all countries that start with d.
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
If your assignment asks for “countries” across history, you can add Dahomey and Democratic Kampuchea with clear date notes. If it asks for modern countries, keep the list at five and you’re set.