dredgevsdredgedWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: dredge is a noun, dredged is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“dredge” is a noun and “dredged” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,438
“dredge” frequency rank
#41,601
“dredged” frequency rank
69039
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dredge dredged
Definition Any instrument used to gather or take by dragging; as: simple past and past participle of dredge

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dredge and dredged apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
dredge
7 ch
dredged

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: dredge is anoun and dredgedaverb. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “dredge” sits inside “dredged”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69039, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dredge is recorded at frequency rank #27,438, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɹɛd͡ʒ/. dredged is at rank #41,601, tagged as averb.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 69039, this pair ranks #56,259 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of dredge vs dredged

Shared letters: degr. Private to "dredge": -. Private to "dredged": -.

"dredge" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "dredged" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dredgeddredge · derdge · drdege · dreddge · dredeg · dredgge · dregde · drredge
  • dredgedddredged · derdged · drdeged · dreddged · dredegd · dredgde · dredgedd · dredgged

Frequency comparison

dredge#27,438
dredged#41,601

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dredge" and "dredged" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dredge" is a noun and "dredged" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dredge" or "dredged"?
"dredge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,438 in our English list, against #41,601 for "dredged". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dredge vs dredged

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “dredge”; for a verb, it's “dredged”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dredge” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list