dress

/dɹes/

//dɹes// verb

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

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

The verdict

“dress” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,789 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,789
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dress vs drew
60% similar
dress vs dues
60% similar
dress vs dyes
60% similar

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

Key facts for dress
PropertyValue
Headworddress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɹes/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,789
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dress” 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). dress 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 dress is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɹes/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,789 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 31 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for dress, with forms such as "ddress", "derss", and "dres". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "drew", "dues", "dyes", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *dwís The verb is from Middle English dressen, dresse (“to arrange, put in order”), from Anglo-Norman, Old French dresser, drecier (modern French dresser), from Late Latin *dīrēctiāre (“to guide, direct”), from Classical Latin dīrēctus, whence Eng… The correct English form is dress, spelled D-R-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.
  2. 2
    To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.
  3. 3
    To design, make, provide, or select clothes (for someone).
  4. 4
    To arrange or style (someone's hair).
  5. 5
    To adorn or ornament (something).
  6. 6
    To adorn or ornament (something).
  7. 7
    To adorn or ornament (something).
  8. 8
    To apply a dressing to or otherwise treat (a wound); (obsolete) to give (a wounded person) medical aid.
  9. 9
    To fit or prepare (something) for use; to render (something) suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready.
  10. 10
    To fit or prepare (something) for use; to render (something) suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready.
  11. 11
    To fit or prepare (something) for use; to render (something) suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready.
  12. 12
    To fit or prepare (something) for use; to render (something) suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready.
  13. 13
    To fit or prepare (something) for use; to render (something) suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready.
  14. 14
    To fit or prepare (something) for use; to render (something) suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready.
  15. 15
    To cultivate or tend to (a garden, land, plants, etc.); especially, to add fertilizer or manure to (soil); to fertilize, to manure.
  16. 16
    To cut up (an animal or its flesh) for food.
  17. 17
    To prepare (food) for cooking or eating, especially by seasoning it; specifically, to add a dressing or sauce (to food, especially a salad).
  18. 18
    To design, make, or prepare costumes (for a play or other performance); also, to present (a production) in a particular costume style.
  19. 19
    To prepare (a set) by installing the props, scenery, etc.
  20. 20
    To arrange (soldiers or troops) into proper formation; especially, to adjust (soldiers or troops) into straight lines and at a proper distance from each other; to align.
  21. 21
    To treat (someone) in a particular manner; specifically, in an appropriate or fitting manner; (by extension, ironic) to give (someone) a deserved beating; also, to give (someone) a good scolding; to dress down.
  22. 22
    To break in and train (a horse or other animal) for use.
  23. 23
    To prepare (oneself); to make ready.
  24. 24
    To put on clothes.
  25. 25
    To put on clothes.
  26. 26
    Of a thing: to attain a certain condition after undergoing some process or treatment to fit or prepare it for use.
  27. 27
    To allow one's penis to fall to one side or the other within one's trousers.
  28. 28
    Ellipsis of cross-dress.
  29. 29
    Of an animal carcass: to have a certain quantity or weight after removal of the internal organs and skin; also, to have a certain appearance after being cut up and prepared for cooking.
  30. 30
    Of soldiers or troops: to arrange into proper formation; especially, to form into straight lines and at a proper distance from each other.
  31. 31
    Of a sportsperson: to put on the uniform and have the equipment needed to play a sport.

Etymology

PIE word *dwís The verb is from Middle English dressen, dresse (“to arrange, put in order”), from Anglo-Norman, Old French dresser, drecier (modern French dresser), from Late Latin *dīrēctiāre (“to guide, direct”), from Classical Latin dīrēctus, whence English direct. Further akin to Latin regō. The noun is derived from the verb. Compare typologically adorn (<< Latin ōrnō < ōrdō, whence also ōrdinō, English order, ornament); Russian наряжа́ть (narjažátʹ), наря́д (narjád) (akin to ряд (rjad), поря́док (porjádok)).

This word in other languages

vestir(Español)habiller(Français)kleiden(Deutsch)vestir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddress,derss,dres,drress,drses,rdess

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dress - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddress1derss2dres1drress1drses2rdess2
Edit distance from "dress"

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 "dress"?
"dress" is spelled D-R-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹes/.
What does "dress" mean?
As a verb, "dress" means: To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.
What words are commonly confused with "dress"?
"dress" is commonly confused with "drew", "dues", "dyes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dress"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dress" is /dɹes/. 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 "dress"?
PIE word *dwís The verb is from Middle English dressen, dresse (“to arrange, put in order”), from Anglo-Norman, Old French dresser, drecier (modern French dresser), from Late Latin *dīrēctiāre (“to guide, direct”), from Classical Latin dīrēctus, ... 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 “dress”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-R-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɹes/ (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. dress 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