dregs

/dɹɛɡz/

//dɹɛɡz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“dregs” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,900. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,900
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The sediment settled at the bottom of a liquid; the lees in a container of unfiltered wine.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dregs · dregs · English

dregs · rank #45,900 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,900
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dreadnought

Nearest frequency peer: dreadnought (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “dregs”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “dregs” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dregs vs drug
60% similar
dregs vs drew
60% similar
dregs vs dues
60% similar

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

Key facts for dregs
PropertyValue
Headworddregs
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɹɛɡz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#45,900
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dregs”

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).dregslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “dreadnought” (#45,899), “dreadlocks” (#45,898), “drawdown” (#45,897). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dregs” is #45,900. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around dregs (IPA /dɹɛɡz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,900 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for dregs, with forms such as "ddregs", "dergs", and "dreggs". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "drug", "drew", "dues", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: See dreg. The correct English form is dregs, spelled D-R-E-G-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The sediment settled at the bottom of a liquid; the lees in a container of unfiltered wine.
  2. 2
    The worst and lowest part of something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red: it is full of mixture, and he powreth out of the same: but the dregges thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drinke them.
  2. And vital virtue infused, and vital warmth / Throughout the fluid mass; but downward purged / The black tartareous cold infernal dregs

Etymology

See dreg.

Synonyms

debrisdepositdraffdrossexuviatefeculencegroundsgroutsleesloserortsoutcastrabblerefuseresidueresiduumriffraffrubbishscumsedimentsettlingtrashtrub

This word in other languages

poso(Español)lie(Français)Bodensatz(Deutsch)borra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddregs
  • dergs
  • dreggs
  • dregss
  • dresg
  • drges
  • drregs
  • rdegs

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddregs1dergs2dreggs1dregss1dresg2drges2drregs1rdegs2
Edit distance from "dregs"

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 "dregs"?
"dregs" is spelled D-R-E-G-S. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹɛɡz/.
What does "dregs" mean?
As a noun, "dregs" means: The sediment settled at the bottom of a liquid; the lees in a container of unfiltered wine.
What words are commonly confused with "dregs"?
"dregs" is commonly confused with "drug", "drew", "dues". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dregs"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dregs" is /dɹɛɡz/. 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 "dregs"?
See dreg. 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 "dregs", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

facie#45,918Fells#45,926Croke#45,867gloat#45,943

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Coelho8 variantsclink8 variantschippy8 variantsbutane8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list