dredge
/dɹɛd͡ʒ/
"dredge" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dredge” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,438 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #27,438
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any instrument used to gather or take by dragging; as:
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dredge |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɹɛd͡ʒ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #27,438 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dredge” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for dredge is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɹɛd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,438 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for dredge, with forms such as "ddredge", "derdge", and "drdege". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "dregs", "drudge", "dredged", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Scots dreg-boat, dreg-bot (from Old English *dreċġ); or alternatively from Middle Dutch dregghe (“drag-net”), probably ultimately from the same root as drag. The correct English form is dredge, spelled D-R-E-D-G-E.
Definition
- 1Any instrument used to gather or take by dragging; as:
- 2Any instrument used to gather or take by dragging; as:
- 3Any instrument used to gather or take by dragging; as:
- 4The act of dredging.
- 5Very fine mineral matter held in suspension in water.
Etymology
From Scots dreg-boat, dreg-bot (from Old English *dreċġ); or alternatively from Middle Dutch dregghe (“drag-net”), probably ultimately from the same root as drag.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddredge,derdge,drdege,dreddge,dredeg,dredgge,dregde,drredge,rdedge
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dredge - 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.
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 "dredge"?
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Using “dredge”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-R-E-D-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɹɛd͡ʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “dregs” - see the side-by-side comparison. dredge vs dregs
- 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.