dragnet
drag·net/ˈdɹæɡˌnɛt/noun, verb
dragnet is spelled D-R-A-G-N-E-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (drag·net). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,192nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dragnet means “A net dragged across the bottom of a body of water” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dragnet is dragnets.
How many letters and syllables are in dragnet?
| Letters | 7: D-R-A-G-N-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: drag·net |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 54,192nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is dragnet?
Dragnet appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,192nd 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 dragnet?
- US /ˈdɹæɡˌnɛt/
- /ˈdɹeɪ̯ɡˌnɛt/
Dragnet has 2 syllables, split drag·net in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-dragnet.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with dragnet
Also written: drag-net (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with dragnet?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as dragnet (/æɡnɛt/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: granted.
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 dragnet
- dragnets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- drag-net
- drag net
- dragnetting participle, present
- dragnetted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dragnet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A net dragged across the bottom of a body of water.
- 2
A heightened effort by law enforcement personnel undertaken in order to capture suspects.
verb
- 1
To drag a net across the bottom of a body of water.
- 2
To undertake a heightened effort to catch a suspect.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dragnet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chalut |
| German | Schleppnetz , Schleppnetzfahndung |
| Portuguese | rasca, arrastão |
| Spanish | red barredera, red de arrastre, chinchorro , redada |
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 dragnet come from?
From drag + net, probably based on the model of Middle English draynet, dreynett (“dragnet”), Old English dræġnet, dræġnett (“dragnet”), equivalent to dray + net. Cognate with Swedish dragnät, Norwegian dragnett, from Icelandic dragnet.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).