drop

/dɹɒp/

//dɹɒp// noun

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

"drop" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“drop” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,103 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,103
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own rounded shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

drop vs dry
50% similar
drop vs duo
50% similar
drop vs dup
50% similar

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

Key facts for drop
PropertyValue
Headworddrop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɹɒp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,103
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “drop” 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). drop lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for drop is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɹɒp/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,103 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 44 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for drop, with forms such as "ddrop", "dorp", and "dropp". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dry", "duo", "dup", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *dropōn Old English dropian Middle English droppen Proto-Indo-European *dʰrbʰ-néh₂- Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- Proto-Germanic *dreupaną Proto-Germanic *druppōną Proto-Germanic *drupô Proto-West Germanic *dropō Old Englis… The correct English form is drop, spelled D-R-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own rounded shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.
  2. 2
    A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own rounded shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.
  3. 3
    A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own rounded shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.
  4. 4
    A very small quantity of liquid, or (by extension) of anything.
  5. 5
    A very small quantity of liquid, or (by extension) of anything.
  6. 6
    A very small quantity of liquid, or (by extension) of anything.
  7. 7
    A very small quantity of liquid, or (by extension) of anything.
  8. 8
    That which hangs or resembles a liquid globule, such as a hanging diamond earring or ornament, a glass pendant on a chandelier, etc.
  9. 9
    That which hangs or resembles a liquid globule, such as a hanging diamond earring or ornament, a glass pendant on a chandelier, etc.
  10. 10
    A thing which drops or hangs down.
  11. 11
    A thing which drops or hangs down.
  12. 12
    A thing which drops or hangs down.
  13. 13
    A thing which drops or hangs down.
  14. 14
    A thing which drops or hangs down.
  15. 15
    A thing which drops or hangs down.
  16. 16
    A thing which drops or hangs down.
  17. 17
    A thing which drops or hangs down.
  18. 18
    A thing which drops or hangs down.
  19. 19
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  20. 20
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  21. 21
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  22. 22
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  23. 23
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  24. 24
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  25. 25
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  26. 26
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  27. 27
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  28. 28
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  29. 29
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  30. 30
    An act or instance of dropping (in all senses).
  31. 31
    A decline in degree, quality, quantity, or rate.
  32. 32
    A decline in degree, quality, quantity, or rate.
  33. 33
    A decline in degree, quality, quantity, or rate.
  34. 34
    The distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level.
  35. 35
    The distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level.
  36. 36
    The distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level.
  37. 37
    The distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level.
  38. 38
    The distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level.
  39. 39
    A place where items or supplies may be left for others to collect, whether openly (as with a mail drop), or secretly or illegally (as in crime or espionage); a drop-off point.
  40. 40
    Only used in get the drop on, have the drop on: an advantage.
  41. 41
    A point in a song, usually electronic music such as dubstep, house, trance, or trap, where there is a very noticeable and pleasing change in bass, tempo, and/or overall tone; a climax, a highlight.
  42. 42
    Licorice in confectionery form.
  43. 43
    An automobile with a drop-top roof, a convertible.
  44. 44
    A place (specified by an ordinal) in the batting order after the openers.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *dropōn Old English dropian Middle English droppen Proto-Indo-European *dʰrbʰ-néh₂- Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- Proto-Germanic *dreupaną Proto-Germanic *druppōną Proto-Germanic *drupô Proto-West Germanic *dropō Old English dropa ▲ Middle English droppen Middle English drope ▲ Middle English droppen Middle English droppe English drop From Late Middle English droppe, Middle English drope (“small quantity of liquid; small or least amount of something; pendant jewel; dripping of a liquid; a shower; nasal flow, catarrh; speck, spot; blemish; disease causing spots on the skin”) [and other forms], from Old English dropa (“a drop”), from Proto-West Germanic *dropō (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Germanic *drupô (“drop (of liquid)”),, from *dreupaną (“to drip, droop”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- (“to drip, drop”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Droupe, Druppe (“drop”), Dutch drop, drup (“droplet”), German Tropfen (“drop”), German Low German Drüpp (“drop”), Luxembourgish Drëps (“drop”), Vilamovian tropa, troppa (“drop”), Yiddish טראָפּן (tropn, “drop”), Danish dråbe (“drop”), Faroese and Icelandic dropi (“drop”), Norwegian Bokmål dråpe (“drop”), Norwegian Nynorsk drope, dråpå (“drop”), Swedish droppe (“drop”).

This word in other languages

gota(Español)goutte(Français)Tropfen(Deutsch)gota(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddrop,dorp,dropp,drpo,drrop,rdop

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddrop1dorp2dropp1drpo2drrop1rdop2
Edit distance from "drop"

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 "drop"?
"drop" is spelled D-R-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹɒp/.
What does "drop" mean?
As a noun, "drop" means: A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own rounded shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid.
What words are commonly confused with "drop"?
"drop" is commonly confused with "dry", "duo", "dup". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "drop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "drop" is /dɹɒp/. 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 "drop"?
Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *dropōn Old English dropian Middle English droppen Proto-Indo-European *dʰrbʰ-néh₂- Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- Proto-Germanic *dreupaną Proto-Germanic *druppōną Proto-Germanic *drupô Proto-West Germanic *dropō ... 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 “drop”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-R-O-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɹɒp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “dry” - see the side-by-side comparison. drop vs dry
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list