dross

/dɹɒs/

//dɹɒs// noun

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

"dross" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dross” is uncommon English (frequency #61,429 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,429
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Waste or impure matter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dross · dross · English

dross · rank #61,429 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,429
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dweeb

Nearest frequency peer: dweeb (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “dross”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “dross” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dross
PropertyValue
Headworddross
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɹɒs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#61,429
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dross” in English

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).drossfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “dweeb” (#61,430), “Drexler” (#61,427), “drench” (#61,426). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dross” is #61,429. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dross is uncommon English at frequency #61,429 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɹɒs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for dross, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English drosse, dros, from Old English drōs, from Proto-Germanic *drōhs (“dregs, sediment”). Also compare Old English drōsna, drōsne (“a ground, sediment, lees, dregs, dirt, ear wax”), from Proto-Germanic *drōhsnǭ, *drōhsnō (“dregs, sediment”), … The correct English form is dross, spelled D-R-O-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Waste or impure matter.
  2. 2
    Waste or impure matter.
  3. 3
    Waste or impure matter.
  4. 4
    Worthless or trivial matter.
  5. 5
    Residual raw opium left in an opium pipe which can be recycled for further sale or use.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Dross is related with the incomplete expulsion of the melt from the bottom of the kerf. For precision applications where the clean cutting edges are important the formation of dross at the bottom of the cutting kerf must be controlled. This requires deep understanding of the mechanisms of dross formation and the various materials and laser-cutting paramet…
  2. One of the main problems with recycling and melting magnesium is the presence of particles in the melt which lead to the formation of dross and sludge. To be more precise, the necessary removal of dross and sludge greatly increase the costs of the facility. And, material is lost.

Etymology

From Middle English drosse, dros, from Old English drōs, from Proto-Germanic *drōhs (“dregs, sediment”). Also compare Old English drōsna, drōsne (“a ground, sediment, lees, dregs, dirt, ear wax”), from Proto-Germanic *drōhsnǭ, *drōhsnō (“dregs, sediment”), derived from *drōhs. Alternatively, this may be from *dragjō + *-snō (“yeast, sediment”; compare *dragjō (“yeast”)), as if from *drēcg + -sn. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrā́ks (“sediment, yeast”). Cognate with Scots dros, drose, drosse (“small particles, fragments, dross”), Middle Dutch droes (“dregs”), Dutch droesem (“dregs”), German Drusen (“lees, dregs”), Latin fracēs (“grounds or dregs of oil”). Related also to drast, dregs.

This word in other languages

escoria(Español)crasse(Français)Müll(Deutsch)

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 "dross"?
"dross" is spelled D-R-O-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹɒs/.
What does "dross" mean?
As a noun, "dross" means: Waste or impure matter.
How do you pronounce "dross"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dross" is /dɹɒs/. 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 "dross"?
From Middle English drosse, dros, from Old English drōs, from Proto-Germanic *drōhs (“dregs, sediment”). Also compare Old English drōsna, drōsne (“a ground, sediment, lees, dregs, dirt, ear wax”), from Proto-Germanic *drōhsnǭ, *drōhsnō (“dregs, se... 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 "dross", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dweeb#61,430dells#61,412Faure#61,461fibro#61,462

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list