dropping

/ˈdɹɒpɪŋ/

//ˈdɹɒpɪŋ// verb

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

"dropping" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dropping” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,079. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,079
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - present participle and gerund of drop

Corpus desk

Index EN-dropping · dropping · English

dropping · rank #4,079 · 11 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,079
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH difficulty

Nearest frequency peer: difficulty (-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 “dropping”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dropping” 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).

dropping vs drowning
75% similar
dropping vs doping
75% similar
dropping vs dipping
75% similar

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

Key facts for dropping
PropertyValue
Headworddropping
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdɹɒpɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#4,079
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dropping”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).droppinglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “difficulty” (#4,078), “drops” (#4,080), “di” (#4,077). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dropping” is #4,079. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around dropping (IPA /ˈdɹɒpɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,079 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle and gerund of drop".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for dropping, with forms such as "ddropping", "dorpping", and "droping". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "drowning", "doping", "dipping", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: By surface analysis, drop + -ing. The correct English form is dropping, spelled D-R-O-P-P-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of drop

Etymology

By surface analysis, drop + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddropping
  • dorpping
  • droping
  • dropipng
  • droppign
  • droppingg
  • droppinng
  • droppnig
  • drpoping
  • drropping
  • rdopping

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddropping1dorpping2droping1dropipng2droppign2droppingg1droppinng1droppnig2
Edit distance from "dropping"

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 "dropping"?
"dropping" is spelled D-R-O-P-P-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɹɒpɪŋ/.
What does "dropping" mean?
As a verb, "dropping" means: present participle and gerund of drop
What words are commonly confused with "dropping"?
"dropping" is commonly confused with "drowning", "doping", "dipping". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dropping"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dropping" is /ˈdɹɒpɪŋ/. 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 "dropping"?
By surface analysis, drop + -ing. 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 "dropping", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

expenses#4,083crossing#4,073guidance#4,091claiming#4,065

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

density11 variantsgreatly11 variantsprecious11 variantspretend11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list