draught

/dɹɑːft/

//dɹɑːft// noun

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

"draught" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“draught” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #26,069 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#26,069
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Alternative form of draft in some of its senses.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

draught vs drought
86% similar
draught vs draft
57% similar

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

Key facts for draught
PropertyValue
Headworddraught
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɹɑːft/
Letters7
Frequency rank#26,069
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “draught” 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). draught 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 draught is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɹɑːft/. Corpus data places it at rank #26,069 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for draught, with forms such as "darught", "ddraught", and "draguht". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "drought", "draft", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English draught, draght, draȝt, from Old English *dreaht, *dræht (related to dragan (“to draw, drag”)), from Proto-Germanic *drahtuz, noun form of *draganą; equivalent to draw + -t. The correct English form is draught, spelled D-R-A-U-G-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative form of draft in some of its senses.
  2. 2
    A checker: a game piece used in the game of draughts.
  3. 3
    Ale: a type of beer brewed using top-fermenting yeast.
  4. 4
    A mild vesicatory.
  5. 5
    An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.
  6. 6
    Any picture or drawing.
  7. 7
    A sudden attack upon an enemy.

Etymology

From Middle English draught, draght, draȝt, from Old English *dreaht, *dræht (related to dragan (“to draw, drag”)), from Proto-Germanic *drahtuz, noun form of *draganą; equivalent to draw + -t.

Synonyms

draught-houseouthousechecker

This word in other languages

dama(Español)Spielstein(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: darught,ddraught,draguht,draugght,draughht,draughtt,draugth,drauhgt,drraught,druaght,rdaught

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of draught - 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.

darught2ddraught1draguht2draugght1draughht1draughtt1draugth2drauhgt2
Edit distance from "draught"

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 "draught"?
"draught" is spelled D-R-A-U-G-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹɑːft/.
What does "draught" mean?
As a noun, "draught" means: Alternative form of draft in some of its senses.
What words are commonly confused with "draught"?
"draught" is commonly confused with "drought", "draft". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "draught"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "draught" 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 "draught"?
From Middle English draught, draght, draȝt, from Old English *dreaht, *dræht (related to dragan (“to draw, drag”)), from Proto-Germanic *drahtuz, noun form of *draganą; equivalent to draw + -t. 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 “draught”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-R-A-U-G-H-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɹɑːft/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “drought” - see the side-by-side comparison. draught vs drought
  • 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