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PlainSpell

drag

/dɹæɡ/noun, verb, adjective

drag is spelled D-R-A-G: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “drag vs drug” about 50 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, drag means “Resistance of a fluid to something moving through it” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of drag is drags.

How many letters and syllables are in drag?

Letters4: D-R-A-G
Syllables1
In writing19 times per million words; the 4,365th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people search
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is drag?

Drag appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce drag?

  • US /dɹæɡ/
  • US [ˈdɹʷæɡ]
  • US [d͡ʒɹʷæɡ]

Drag has one syllable.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-drag.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Xavier_hillier-drag.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with drag

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

drag vs drug50 G

Also written: drug.

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with drag?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as drag from its last stressed vowel (/æɡ/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: grad, gard, darg.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of drag

  • drags plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • dragging participle, present
  • dragged participle, past
  • more drag comparative
  • most drag superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does drag mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Resistance of a fluid to something moving through it.

    When designing cars, manufacturers have to take drag into consideration.

  2. 2

    Any force acting in opposition to the motion of an object.

    A high thrust-to-weight ratio helps a rocket to overcome the effects of gravity drag.

  3. 3

    A device dragged along the bottom of a body of water in search of something, e.g. a dead body, or in fishing.

  4. 4

    informalA systematic search for someone over a wide area, especially by the authorities; a dragnet.

  5. 5

    A double drum-stroke played at twice the speed of the context in which it is placed.

  6. 6

    informalA puff on a cigarette or joint.

    He got high after just one drag of the joint.

  7. 7

    slangSomeone or something that is annoying or frustrating, or disappointing; an obstacle to progress or enjoyment.

    Travelling to work in the rush hour is a real drag.

  8. 8

    slangA long open horse-drawn carriage with transverse or side seats.

  9. 9

    A performance art form associated with the LGBTQ+ community, that features a stylized and exaggerated portrayal of femininity or, at times, masculinity, often playing with gender stereotypes.

  10. 10

    slangWomen's clothing, accessories, and makeup worn by men for the purpose of entertainment.

    He performed in drag.

  11. 11

    slangMen's clothing, accessories, and makeup worn by women for the purpose of entertainment.

  12. 12

    slangA men's party attended in women's clothing.

  13. 13

    slangA drag king or drag queen.

  14. 14

    slangAny type of clothing or costume associated with a particular occupation or subculture.

    corporate drag

  15. 15

    informalClipping of dragon.

verb

  1. 1

    To pull along a surface or through a medium, sometimes with difficulty.

    Let's drag this load of wood over to the shed.

  2. 2

    To proceed heavily, laboriously, or slowly; to advance with weary effort; to go on lingeringly.

    Time seems to drag when you're waiting for a bus.

  3. 3

    To act or proceed slowly or without enthusiasm; to be reluctant.

  4. 4

    To draw along (something burdensome); hence, to pass in pain or with difficulty.

  5. 5

    To serve as a clog or hindrance; to hold back.

  6. 6

    To operate a pointing device by moving it with a button held down; to move, copy, etc. (an item) in this way.

    Drag the file into the window to open it.

  7. 7

    To unintentionally rub or scrape on a surface.

    The car was so low to the ground that its muffler was dragging on a speed bump.

  8. 8

    To hit or kick off target.

    Arsenal were struggling for any sort of rhythm and Aaron Lennon dragged an effort inches wide as Tottenham pressed for a second.

  9. 9

    informalTo perform as a drag queen or drag king.

adjective

  1. 1

    AustraliaslangDragged on; unnecessary or superfluous, especially for an already settled issue; too much.

    Wallah, the task is so drag.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Drag in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchtrainée (resistance of the air or some other fluid), taffe (puff on cigarette), emmerdeur, emmerdeuse (someone or something that is annoying or…), sabot (skid or shoe for retarding the motion of a…), traîner (to pull along a surface)
GermanWiderstand, Luftwiderstand (resistance of the air or some other fluid), Zug (puff on cigarette), schleifen, schleppen, zerren (to pull along a surface)
Portuguesearrasto, arraste (resistance of the air or some other fluid), arrastar (to pull along a surface)
Spanishbocanada, calada (puff on cigarette), pelma, embole, rollo, tabarra (someone or something that is annoying or…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does drag come from?

From Middle English draggen (“to drag”), early Middle English dragen (“to draw, carry”), confluence of Old English dragan (“to drag, draw, draw oneself, go, protract”) and Old Norse draga (“to draw, attract”); both from Proto-Germanic *draganą (“to draw, drag”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ- (“to draw, drag”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after drag