drain

/dɹeɪn/

//dɹeɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“drain” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,353 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,353
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume; a plughole (UK)

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

drain vs DRI
0% similar
drain vs draw
60% similar
drain vs drip
60% similar

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

Key facts for drain
PropertyValue
Headworddrain
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɹeɪn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,353
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “drain” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for drain is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɹeɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,353 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for drain, with forms such as "darin", "ddrain", and "drainn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "DRI", "draw", "drip", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dreinen, from Old English drēahnian (“to drain, strain, filter”), from Proto-Germanic *drauhnōną (“to strain, sieve”), from Proto-Germanic *draugiz (“dry, parched”). Akin to Old English drūgian (“to dry up”), Old English drūgaþ (“dryness… The correct English form is drain, spelled D-R-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume; a plughole (UK)
  2. 2
    An access point or conduit for rainwater that drains directly downstream in a (drainage) basin without going through sewers or water treatment in order to prevent or belay floods.
  3. 3
    A natural or artificial watercourse which drains a tract of land.
  4. 4
    Something consuming resources and providing nothing in return.
  5. 5
    An act of urination.
  6. 6
    One terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).
  7. 7
    An outhole.
  8. 8
    A drink.

Etymology

From Middle English dreinen, from Old English drēahnian (“to drain, strain, filter”), from Proto-Germanic *drauhnōną (“to strain, sieve”), from Proto-Germanic *draugiz (“dry, parched”). Akin to Old English drūgian (“to dry up”), Old English drūgaþ (“dryness, drought”), Old English drȳġe (“dry”). More at dry.

This word in other languages

desagüe(Español)drain(Français)Abfluss(Deutsch)dreno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: darin,ddrain,drainn,drani,drian,drrain,rdain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of drain - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

darin2ddrain1drainn1drani2drian2drrain1rdain2
Edit distance from "drain"

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 "drain"?
"drain" is spelled D-R-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹeɪn/.
What does "drain" mean?
As a noun, "drain" means: A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume; a plughole (UK)
What words are commonly confused with "drain"?
"drain" is commonly confused with "DRI", "draw", "drip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "drain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "drain" is /dɹeɪn/. 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 "drain"?
From Middle English dreinen, from Old English drēahnian (“to drain, strain, filter”), from Proto-Germanic *drauhnōną (“to strain, sieve”), from Proto-Germanic *draugiz (“dry, parched”). Akin to Old English drūgian (“to dry up”), Old English drūgaþ... 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.

Using “drain”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-R-A-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɹeɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “DRI” - see the side-by-side comparison. drain vs DRI
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list