draft

/dɹɑːft/

//dɹɑːft// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"draft" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“draft” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,438. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,438
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A current of air, usually coming into a room or vehicle.

Corpus desk

Index EN-draft · draft · English

draft · rank #2,438 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,438
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH destroyed

Nearest frequency peer: destroyed (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “draft”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “draft” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

draft vs draw
60% similar
draft vs drag
60% similar
draft vs dram
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for draft
PropertyValue
Headworddraft
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɹɑːft/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,438
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “draft”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).draftlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “destroyed” (#2,437), “drunk” (#2,439), “desire” (#2,436). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “draft” is #2,438. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around draft (IPA /dɹɑːft/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,438 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 24 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for draft, with forms such as "darft", "ddraft", and "drafft". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "draw", "drag", "dram", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: A phonetic spelling of draught (compare laughter), from Middle English draught, draght (“that which is pulled; that which is drawn up, a design”), from Old English *dreaht, *dræht, from Proto-West Germanic *drahti, *drahtu, from Proto-Germanic *drahtuz (“a … The correct English form is draft, spelled D-R-A-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A current of air, usually coming into a room or vehicle.
  2. 2
    The draw through a flue of gasses or smoke resulting from a combustion process.
  3. 3
    An act of drinking.
  4. 4
    The quantity of liquid (such as water, alcohol, or medicine) drunk in one swallow.
  5. 5
    A dose (of medicine, alcohol, etc.).
  6. 6
    Liquid, especially beer or other alcohol, drawn from a cask or keg rather than a bottle or can.
  7. 7
    The depth of water needed to float a particular ship; the depth from the waterline to the bottom of a vessel's hull; the depth of water drawn by a vessel.
  8. 8
    A version of a written work (such as a book or paper) or drawing.
  9. 9
    An unsent e-mail.
  10. 10
    A preliminary sketch or outline for a plan.
  11. 11
    An order for money to be paid; the document that states it: a cheque, note, bond, bill of exchange, money order, or IOU.
  12. 12
    Conscription; the system of forcing people to serve in the military.
  13. 13
    A person who has been drafted; a conscript or draftee.
  14. 14
    A system of forcing or convincing people to take an elected position.
  15. 15
    A system of assigning rookie players to professional sports teams.
  16. 16
    A style of play in collectible card games, where players select from a shared pool of cards.
  17. 17
    A quantity that is requisitioned or drawn out from a larger population.
  18. 18
    The pulling force (tension) on couplers and draft gear during a slack (stretched) condition.
  19. 19
    The bevel given to the pattern for a casting, so that it can be drawn from the sand without damaging the mould.
  20. 20
    The action or an act (especially of a beast of burden or vehicle) of pulling something along or back.
  21. 21
    The act of drawing in a net for fish.
  22. 22
    That which is drawn in; a catch; a haul.
  23. 23
    A small stream or tributary.
  24. 24
    A ravine or narrow valley, especially one through which a stream (at least intermittently) flows.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how draft appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. to drink at a draft
  2. She took a deep draft from the bottle of water.

Etymology

A phonetic spelling of draught (compare laughter), from Middle English draught, draght (“that which is pulled; that which is drawn up, a design”), from Old English *dreaht, *dræht, from Proto-West Germanic *drahti, *drahtu, from Proto-Germanic *drahtuz (“a pulling, drawing”). Cognate with Dutch dracht, German Tracht, Icelandic dráttur. By surface analysis, draw + -t.

This word in other languages

corriente(Español)courant d'air(Français)Zug(Deutsch)corrente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • darft
  • ddraft
  • drafft
  • draftt
  • dratf
  • drfat
  • drraft
  • rdaft

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of draft - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

darft2ddraft1drafft1draftt1dratf2drfat2drraft1rdaft2
Edit distance from "draft"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "draft"?
"draft" is spelled D-R-A-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹɑːft/.
What does "draft" mean?
As a noun, "draft" means: A current of air, usually coming into a room or vehicle.
What words are commonly confused with "draft"?
"draft" is commonly confused with "draw", "drag", "dram". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "draft"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "draft" is /dɹɑːft/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "draft"?
A phonetic spelling of draught (compare laughter), from Middle English draught, draght (“that which is pulled; that which is drawn up, a design”), from Old English *dreaht, *dræht, from Proto-West Germanic *drahti, *drahtu, from Proto-Germanic *dr... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "draft", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

drunk#2,439finds#2,443walls#2,422usual#2,417

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

desire8 variantsmedium8 variantstalks8 variantsbirds8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list