driftwood

Name: driftwood, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈdɹɪftwʊd/

//ˈdɹɪftwʊd// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“driftwood” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,668. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,668
frequency rank, English: 3,470
“D” headwords: 14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A floating piece, or pieces, of wood that drifts with the current of a body of water.

Corpus desk

Index EN-driftwood · driftwood · English

driftwood · rank #40,668 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #40,668
LEN-LONG 9 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 14 variants
BOOK-MID 3,470
PHOTO-FINISH drivel

Nearest frequency peer: drivel (+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.

dorky

59,336
dormer

59,335
driftwood

59,333
drivel

59,332
Durga

59,331
dyslexic

59,330

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

Key facts for driftwood
Property	Value
Headword	driftwood
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈdɹɪftwʊd/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#40,668
Misspellings tracked	14
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “driftwood”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).driftwoodlands here:

#40,668

#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 “drivel” (#40,669), “dormer” (#40,666), “Durga” (#40,670). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “driftwood” is #40,668. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around driftwood (IPA /ˈdɹɪftwʊd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,668 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for driftwood, with forms such as "ddriftwood", "dirftwood", and "drfitwood". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From drift + wood. The correct English form is driftwood, spelled D-R-I-F-T-W-O-O-D.

Definition

1
A floating piece, or pieces, of wood that drifts with the current of a body of water.
2
Such a piece of wood that has been cast ashore.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Every wave on the Atlantic was like a dead seagull dragging its driftwood artillery from horizon to horizon.
Commonly the bear makes a stand in driftwood on a bank, or on a log that has fallen into or across a stream.

Etymology

From drift + wood.

This word in other languages

bois flotté(Français)Treibholz(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

ddriftwood
dirftwood
drfitwood
drifftwood
driftowod
drifttwood
driftwod
driftwodo
driftwoodd
driftwwood
drifwtood
dritfwood
drriftwood
rdiftwood

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "driftwood"

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 "driftwood"?

"driftwood" is spelled D-R-I-F-T-W-O-O-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɹɪftwʊd/.

What does "driftwood" mean?

As a noun, "driftwood" means: A floating piece, or pieces, of wood that drifts with the current of a body of water.

What are common misspellings of "driftwood"?

Common misspellings include "ddriftwood", "dirftwood", "drfitwood", "drifftwood", "driftowod". The correct spelling is "driftwood".

How do you pronounce "driftwood"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "driftwood" is /ˈdɹɪftwʊd/. 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 "driftwood"?

From drift + wood. 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 "driftwood", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

emphysema#40,681 demeanour#40,650 exogenous#40,688 extractor#40,690

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

distilling14 variants emotionless14 variants incestuous14 variants Lansdowne14 variants