drift

/dɹɪft/

//dɹɪft// noun

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

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

The verdict

“drift” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,323 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,323
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Movement; that which moves or is moved.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

drift vs drip
60% similar
drift vs drive
60% similar
drift vs drink
60% similar

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

Key facts for drift
PropertyValue
Headworddrift
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɹɪft/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,323
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “drift” 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). drift 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 drift is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɹɪft/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,323 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 33 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for drift, with forms such as "ddrift", "dirft", and "drfit". 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, "drip", "drive", "drink", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English drift, dryft (“act of driving, drove, shower of rain or snow, impulse”), from Old English *drift (“drift”), from Proto-Germanic *driftiz (“drift”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ- (“to drive, push”). Equivalent to drive + -t; cognate … The correct English form is drift, spelled D-R-I-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Movement; that which moves or is moved.
  2. 2
    Movement; that which moves or is moved.
  3. 3
    Movement; that which moves or is moved.
  4. 4
    Movement; that which moves or is moved.
  5. 5
    Movement; that which moves or is moved.
  6. 6
    Movement; that which moves or is moved.
  7. 7
    Movement; that which moves or is moved.
  8. 8
    Movement; that which moves or is moved.
  9. 9
    Movement; that which moves or is moved.
  10. 10
    The act or motion of drifting; the force which impels or drives; an overpowering influence or impulse.
  11. 11
    A place (a ford) along a river where the water is shallow enough to permit crossing to the opposite side.
  12. 12
    The tendency of an act, argument, course of conduct, or the like; object aimed at or intended; intention; hence, also, import or meaning of a sentence or discourse; aim.
  13. 13
    The horizontal thrust or pressure of an arch or vault upon the abutments.
  14. 14
    A tool.
  15. 15
    A tool.
  16. 16
    A tool.
  17. 17
    A deviation from the line of fire, peculiar to obloid projectiles.
  18. 18
    Minor deviation of audio or video playback from its correct speed.
  19. 19
    The situation where a performer gradually and unintentionally moves from their proper location within the scene.
  20. 20
    A passage driven or cut between shaft and shaft; a driftway; a small subterranean gallery.
  21. 21
    An adit or tunnel driven forward for purposes of exploration or exploitation; generally eventually to a dead end.
  22. 22
    A sloping winze or road to the surface, for purposes of haulage.
  23. 23
    In a coal mine, a heading driven for exploration or ventilation.
  24. 24
    Of a boring or a driven tunnel: deviation from the intended course.
  25. 25
    A heading driven through a seam of coal.
  26. 26
    Movement.
  27. 27
    Movement.
  28. 28
    Movement.
  29. 29
    Movement.
  30. 30
    Movement.
  31. 31
    A sideways movement of the ball through the air, when bowled by a spin bowler.
  32. 32
    Slow, cumulative change.
  33. 33
    In the New Forest National Park, UK, the bi-annual round-up of wild ponies in order to sell them.

Etymology

From Middle English drift, dryft (“act of driving, drove, shower of rain or snow, impulse”), from Old English *drift (“drift”), from Proto-Germanic *driftiz (“drift”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ- (“to drive, push”). Equivalent to drive + -t; cognate with North Frisian drift (“drift”), Saterland Frisian Drift (“current, flow, stream, drift”), Dutch drift (“drift, passion, urge”), German Drift (“drift”) and Trift (“drove, pasture”), Danish drift (“impulse, instinct”), Swedish drift (“impulse, instinct”), Icelandic drift (“drift, snow-drift”).

This word in other languages

deriva(Español)dérive(Français)Drift(Deutsch)deriva(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddrift,dirft,drfit,drifft,driftt,dritf,drrift,rdift

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddrift1dirft2drfit2drifft1driftt1dritf2drrift1rdift2
Edit distance from "drift"

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 "drift"?
"drift" is spelled D-R-I-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹɪft/.
What does "drift" mean?
As a noun, "drift" means: Movement; that which moves or is moved.
What words are commonly confused with "drift"?
"drift" is commonly confused with "drip", "drive", "drink". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "drift"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "drift" is /dɹɪft/. 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 "drift"?
From Middle English drift, dryft (“act of driving, drove, shower of rain or snow, impulse”), from Old English *drift (“drift”), from Proto-Germanic *driftiz (“drift”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ- (“to drive, push”). Equivalent to drive + -t... 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 “drift”

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

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