drivel

/dɹɪv.əl/

//dɹɪv.əl// noun

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

"drivel" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“drivel” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,669. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,669
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Nonsense; senseless talk.

Corpus desk

Index EN-drivel · drivel · English

drivel · rank #40,669 · 9 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,669
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH driftwood

Nearest frequency peer: driftwood (-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 “drivel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “drivel” 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).

drivel vs drove
67% similar
drivel vs driver
83% similar
drivel vs driven
83% similar

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

Key facts for drivel
PropertyValue
Headworddrivel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɹɪv.əl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#40,669
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “drivel”

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “driftwood” (#40,668), “Durga” (#40,670), “dyslexic” (#40,671). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “drivel” is #40,669. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around drivel (IPA /dɹɪv.əl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,669 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for drivel, with forms such as "ddrivel", "dirvel", and "drievl". 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. It also participates in 16 confusable-pair relationships, "drove", "driver", "driven", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dravel, dribil, a deverbal from drevelen, drivelen (Etymology 2). The correct English form is drivel, spelled D-R-I-V-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nonsense; senseless talk.
  2. 2
    Saliva, drool.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “You pay too much attention to such insipid drivel in even mentioning it.”
  2. But what drivel I am writing! It is just an attempt to pass the weary time.

Etymology

From Middle English dravel, dribil, a deverbal from drevelen, drivelen (Etymology 2).

This word in other languages

tonterías(Español)foutaise(Français)Blödsinn(Deutsch)bobagem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddrivel
  • dirvel
  • drievl
  • drivell
  • drivle
  • drivvel
  • drrivel
  • drviel
  • rdivel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddrivel1dirvel2drievl2drivell1drivle2drivvel1drrivel1drviel2
Edit distance from "drivel"

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 "drivel"?
"drivel" is spelled D-R-I-V-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹɪv.əl/.
What does "drivel" mean?
As a noun, "drivel" means: Nonsense; senseless talk.
What words are commonly confused with "drivel"?
"drivel" is commonly confused with "drove", "driver", "driven". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "drivel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "drivel" is /dɹɪv.əl/. 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 "drivel"?
From Middle English dravel, dribil, a deverbal from drevelen, drivelen (Etymology 2). 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 "drivel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dormer#40,666disown#40,659dimple#40,655faerie#40,691

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Gaffney9 variantsgunnery9 variantscarpal9 variantsHerrick9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list