drifter
/ˈdɹɪftɚ/noun
drifter is spelled D-R-I-F-T-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a derogatory noun, drifter means “A person who moves from place to place or job to job” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of drifter is drifters.
How many letters and syllables are in drifter?
| Letters | 7: D-R-I-F-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,748th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is drifter?
Drifter appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce drifter?
- UK /ˈdɹɪftə/
- US /ˈdɹɪftɚ/
Drifter has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-drifter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with drifter?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as drifter from its last stressed vowel (/ɪftəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of drifter
- drifters plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does drifter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
derogatoryA person who moves from place to place or job to job.
- 2
A type of lightweight sail used in light winds like a spinnaker.
- 3
A driver who uses driving techniques to modify vehicle traction to cause a vehicle to slide or power slide rather than drive in line with the tires.
- 4
A parachutist who jumps before the rest of the group to determine wind direction.
- 5
A person employed in driving in rock other than coal.
- 6
One who takes part in drift fishing.
- 7
A boat used for drift fishing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Drifter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense person moving from place to place or job to job:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vagabond |
| German | Landstreicher, Herumtreiber, Vagabund, Rumtreiber |
| Spanish | trotamundo, vagabundo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does drifter come from?
From drift (verb) + -er.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).