draw a blank
"draw-a-blank" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“draw a blank” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To be unable to recall a required piece of information.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | draw a blank |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “draw a blank” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
draw a blank is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for draw a blank in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from the idea of drawing of a blank (losing) ticket in an old-fashioned lottery. The correct English form is draw a blank, spelled D-R-A-W- -A- -B-L-A-N-K.
Definition
- 1To be unable to recall a required piece of information.
- 2To fail; not to find anything; to produce no successful response.
Etymology
Probably from the idea of drawing of a blank (losing) ticket in an old-fashioned lottery.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “draw a blank”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-R-A-W- -A- -B-L-A-N-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.