dribbling

/ˈdɹɪblɪŋ/

//ˈdɹɪblɪŋ// noun

"dribbling" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dribbling” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,958. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,958
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An amount of liquid that is dribbled.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dribbling · dribbling · English

dribbling · rank #31,958 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,958
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dost

Nearest frequency peer: dost (-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 “dribbling”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dribbling” 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).

dribbling vs drilling
78% similar
dribbling vs dabbling
78% similar

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

Key facts for dribbling
PropertyValue
Headworddribbling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɹɪblɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#31,958
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dribbling”

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).dribblinglands 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 “dost” (#31,957), “Dryden” (#31,959), “distaste” (#31,956). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dribbling” is #31,958. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around dribbling (IPA /ˈdɹɪblɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,958 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for dribbling, with forms such as "ddribbling", "dirbbling", and "drbibling". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "drilling", "dabbling", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is dribbling, spelled D-R-I-B-B-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    An amount of liquid that is dribbled.
  2. 2
    The act of dribbling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In dry weather, when plants are drawn out of the seed bed, and planted with a common dibber, receiving daily dribblings of water, many will perish, and all are materially injured.
  2. From the mouth you early observe a dribbling of saliva of a sticky nature and mixed with air, and of a disagreeable fetor […]

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddribbling
  • dirbbling
  • drbibling
  • dribbilng
  • dribblign
  • dribblingg
  • dribblinng
  • dribblling
  • dribblnig
  • driblbing
  • dribling
  • drribbling
  • rdibbling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddribbling1dirbbling2drbibling2dribbilng2dribblign2dribblingg1dribblinng1dribblling1
Edit distance from "dribbling"

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 "dribbling"?
"dribbling" is spelled D-R-I-B-B-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɹɪblɪŋ/.
What does "dribbling" mean?
As a noun, "dribbling" means: An amount of liquid that is dribbled.
What words are commonly confused with "dribbling"?
"dribbling" is commonly confused with "drilling", "dabbling". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dribbling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dribbling" is /ˈdɹɪblɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dribbling" come from?
"dribbling" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "dribbling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list