draughtsman

/ˈdɹɑːftsmən/

//ˈdɹɑːftsmən// noun

"draughtsman" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“draughtsman” is uncommon English (frequency #57,987 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,987
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person skilled at drawing engineering or architectural plans.

Corpus desk

Index EN-draughtsman · draughtsman · English

draughtsman · rank #57,987 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,987
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dower

Nearest frequency peer: dower (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “draughtsman”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “draughtsman” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for draughtsman
PropertyValue
Headworddraughtsman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɹɑːftsmən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#57,987
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “draughtsman” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).draughtsmanfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “dower” (#57,986), “ductile” (#57,988), “Dorcas” (#57,983). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “draughtsman” is #57,987. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

draughtsman is uncommon English at frequency #57,987 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdɹɑːftsmən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for draughtsman in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From draught + -s- + -man. The correct English form is draughtsman, spelled D-R-A-U-G-H-T-S-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person skilled at drawing engineering or architectural plans.
  2. 2
    A book illustrator.
  3. 3
    One who drinks drams; a tippler.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It was after the building and successful trials of the "Lord Nelson" engine on the Southern Railway that Sir Henry Fowler, then C.M.E. of the L.M.S.R., sent his chief draughtsman, Herbert Chambers, to Waterloo with the proposed weight diagram of a new 4-6-0 engine (to be known as a "Royal Scot" class), and to discuss the proposal with Mr. Clayton.
  2. I have used my interest in several wards of the city , that the wholesome restorative above - mentioned may be given in tavern - kitchens to all the morning's draughtsmen within

Etymology

From draught + -s- + -man.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "draughtsman"?
"draughtsman" is spelled D-R-A-U-G-H-T-S-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɹɑːftsmən/.
What does "draughtsman" mean?
As a noun, "draughtsman" means: A person skilled at drawing engineering or architectural plans.
How do you pronounce "draughtsman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "draughtsman" is /ˈdɹɑːftsmən/. 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 "draughtsman"?
From draught + -s- + -man. 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 "draughtsman", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list