dread

/dɹɛd/

//dɹɛd// verb

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

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

The verdict

“dread” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,227 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#12,227
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To fear greatly.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dread vs drew
60% similar
dread vs dyed
60% similar
dread vs dream
80% similar

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

Key facts for dread
PropertyValue
Headworddread
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɹɛd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,227
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dread” 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). dread 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 dread is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɹɛd/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,227 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 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 dread, with forms such as "ddread", "derad", and "draed". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "drew", "dyed", "dream", 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 dreden, from Old English drǣdan (“to fear, dread”), aphetic form of ondrǣdan (“to fear, dread”), from Proto-West Germanic *andarādan, equivalent to Old English and- + rǣdan (whence read); corresponding to an aphesis of earlier adread. Ak… The correct English form is dread, spelled D-R-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To fear greatly.
  2. 2
    To anticipate with fear.
  3. 3
    To be in dread, or great fear.
  4. 4
    To style (the hair) into dreadlocks.

Etymology

From Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan (“to fear, dread”), aphetic form of ondrǣdan (“to fear, dread”), from Proto-West Germanic *andarādan, equivalent to Old English and- + rǣdan (whence read); corresponding to an aphesis of earlier adread. Akin to Old Saxon antdrādan, andrādan (“to fear, dread”), Old High German intrātan (“to fear”), Middle High German entrāten (“to fear, dread, frighten”).

This word in other languages

temer(Español)redouter(Français)schaudern(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddread,derad,draed,dreadd,dreda,drread,rdead

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddread1derad2draed2dreadd1dreda2drread1rdead2
Edit distance from "dread"

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 "dread"?
"dread" is spelled D-R-E-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹɛd/.
What does "dread" mean?
As a verb, "dread" means: To fear greatly.
What words are commonly confused with "dread"?
"dread" is commonly confused with "drew", "dyed", "dream". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dread"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dread" is /dɹɛd/. 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 "dread"?
From Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan (“to fear, dread”), aphetic form of ondrǣdan (“to fear, dread”), from Proto-West Germanic *andarādan, equivalent to Old English and- + rǣdan (whence read); corresponding to an aphesis of earlier ... 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 “dread”

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

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