drizzle

/ˈdɹɪz.l/

//ˈdɹɪz.l// verb

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

"drizzle" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“drizzle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,814. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,814
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To rain lightly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-drizzle · drizzle · English

drizzle · rank #23,814 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,814
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH eau

Nearest frequency peer: eau (+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 “drizzle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “drizzle” 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).

drizzle vs dazzle
71% similar
drizzle vs dribble
71% similar

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

Key facts for drizzle
PropertyValue
Headworddrizzle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdɹɪz.l/
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,814
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “drizzle”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).drizzlelands 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 “eau” (#23,815), “Dons” (#23,812), “edging” (#23,816). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “drizzle” is #23,814. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around drizzle (IPA /ˈdɹɪz.l/), averb. Corpus frequency is #23,814 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for drizzle, with forms such as "ddrizzle", "dirzzle", and "drizle". 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, "dazzle", "dribble", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Perhaps a back-formation from dryseling, a dissimilated variant of Middle English drysning (“a falling of dew”), from Old English drysnan (“to extinguish”), related to Old English drēosan (“to fall, to decline”), making it cognate to modern English droze an… The correct English form is drizzle, spelled D-R-I-Z-Z-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To rain lightly.
  2. 2
    To shed slowly in minute drops or particles.
  3. 3
    To pour slowly and evenly, especially oil or honey in cooking.
  4. 4
    To cover by pouring in this manner.
  5. 5
    To urinate.
  6. 6
    To carry out parfilage, the process of unravelling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We had planned a picnic for Joe's birthday, but it ended up drizzling all day.
  2. And from mine eyes the drizling teares descend, As on your boughes the ysicles depend.

Etymology

Perhaps a back-formation from dryseling, a dissimilated variant of Middle English drysning (“a falling of dew”), from Old English drysnan (“to extinguish”), related to Old English drēosan (“to fall, to decline”), making it cognate to modern English droze and drowse. Compare also dialectal Swedish drösla.

This word in other languages

lloviznar(Español)bruiner(Français)nieseln(Deutsch)chuviscar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddrizzle
  • dirzzle
  • drizle
  • drizlze
  • drizzel
  • drizzlle
  • drrizzle
  • drzizle
  • rdizzle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of drizzle - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddrizzle1dirzzle2drizle1drizlze2drizzel2drizzlle1drrizzle1drzizle2
Edit distance from "drizzle"

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 "drizzle"?
"drizzle" is spelled D-R-I-Z-Z-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɹɪz.l/.
What does "drizzle" mean?
As a verb, "drizzle" means: To rain lightly.
What words are commonly confused with "drizzle"?
"drizzle" is commonly confused with "dazzle", "dribble". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "drizzle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "drizzle" is /ˈdɹɪz.l/. 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 "drizzle"?
Perhaps a back-formation from dryseling, a dissimilated variant of Middle English drysning (“a falling of dew”), from Old English drysnan (“to extinguish”), related to Old English drēosan (“to fall, to decline”), making it cognate to modern Englis... 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 "drizzle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

deluded#23,801exalted#23,828crushes#23,796corolla#23,790

Similar misspelling depth

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

edging9 variantsFenton9 variantsfueling9 variantscarrick9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list