drogue

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

/dɹəʊɡ/

//dɹəʊɡ// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“drogue” is uncommon English (frequency #95,923 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,923
frequency rank, English: 26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A floating object attached to the end of a harpoon line to slow a whale down and prevent it from diving.

Key facts for drogue
Property	Value
Headword	drogue
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/dɹəʊɡ/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#95,923
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “drogue” 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). drogue lands here:

#95,923

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

drogue is uncommon English at frequency #95,923 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɹəʊɡ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

drogue doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain; probably related to drag in some way. The correct English form is drogue, spelled D-R-O-G-U-E.

Definition

1
A floating object attached to the end of a harpoon line to slow a whale down and prevent it from diving.
2
A type of bag pulled behind a boat to stop it from broaching to.
3
A conical parachute used as a brake for some kinds of aircraft, or as a means of extracting and deploying a larger parachute, or to slow a rapidly-moving vehicle to a speed where it can safely deploy a larger parachute.
4
A conical basket or device used variously as a target for gunnery practice, and as a docking point for aerial refuelling.
5
A wind cone.

Etymology

Uncertain; probably related to drag in some way.

Synonyms

drag parachutedrag chutedrogue chutedrogue parachute

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 "drogue"?

"drogue" is spelled D-R-O-G-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹəʊɡ/.

What does "drogue" mean?

As a noun, "drogue" means: A floating object attached to the end of a harpoon line to slow a whale down and prevent it from diving.

How do you pronounce "drogue"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "drogue" is /dɹəʊɡ/. 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 "drogue"?

Uncertain; probably related to drag in some way. 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 “drogue”

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

The one correct English spelling is D-R-O-G-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /dɹəʊɡ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.