drawback
/ˈdɹɔˌbæk/noun
drawback is spelled D-R-A-W-B-A-C-K: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, drawback means “A disadvantage; something that detracts or takes away” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of drawback is drawbacks.
How many letters and syllables are in drawback?
| Letters | 8: D-R-A-W-B-A-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,073rd 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 drawback?
Drawback appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd 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 drawback?
- UK /ˈdɹɔːˌbæk/
- US /ˈdɹɔˌbæk/
- US [ˈd͡ʒɹɔˌbæk]
Drawback has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Jjamesryan-drawback.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with drawback
Also written: draw back (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with drawback?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as drawback (/ɔbæk/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: backward.
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 drawback
- drawbacks plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does drawback mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A disadvantage; something that detracts or takes away.
Poor fuel economy is a common drawback among larger vehicles.
- 2
A partial refund of an import fee, as when goods are re-exported from the country that collected the fee.
- 3
The inhalation of a lungful of smoke from a cigarette, viewed as a skill of the practised smoker.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Drawback in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | inconvénient, désavantage , drawback |
| German | Nachteil, Minuspunkt, Schattenseite, Haken , Zollrückvergütung |
| Portuguese | desvantagem |
| Spanish | desventaja, pega, inconveniente , reintegro, drawback (dróbak), reembolso parcial |
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 drawback come from?
From draw + back. Compare setback.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).