drudgery

/ˈdɹʌd͡ʒəɹi/

//ˈdɹʌd͡ʒəɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“drudgery” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,204. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,204
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Exhausting, menial, and tedious work.

Corpus desk

Index EN-drudgery · drudgery · English

drudgery · rank #48,204 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #48,204
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH droll

Nearest frequency peer: droll (-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 “drudgery”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “drudgery” 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).

drudgery vs drudge
75% similar

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

Key facts for drudgery
PropertyValue
Headworddrudgery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɹʌd͡ʒəɹi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#48,204
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “drudgery”

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).drudgerylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “droll” (#48,203), “drupal” (#48,205), “Dulwich” (#48,207). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “drudgery” is #48,204. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around drudgery (IPA /ˈdɹʌd͡ʒəɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,204 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Exhausting, menial, and tedious work.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for drudgery, with forms such as "ddrudgery", "drdugery", and "drrudgery". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "drudge", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From drudge (“person who works in a low servile job”) + -ery (suffix meaning ‘the art, craft, or practice of’ forming nouns). The correct English form is drudgery, spelled D-R-U-D-G-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Exhausting, menial, and tedious work.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. What laier much better then there, / or cheaper (thereon to doo well?) / What drudgerie more any where / lesse good thereof where can ye tell? / What gotten by Sommer is seene: / in Winter is eaten vp cleene.
  2. I may not dure this female drudgerie, / To ſea Æneas, finde out Italy.

Etymology

From drudge (“person who works in a low servile job”) + -ery (suffix meaning ‘the art, craft, or practice of’ forming nouns).

Synonyms

choresdrudgerydrudgeworkfatiguerazzmatazzscutscutworkswinktoil

This word in other languages

corvée(Français)Plackerei(Deutsch)labuta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddrudgery
  • drdugery
  • drrudgery
  • druddgery
  • drudegry
  • drudgerry
  • drudgeryy
  • drudgeyr
  • drudggery
  • drudgrey
  • drugdery
  • durdgery
  • rdudgery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of drudgery - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddrudgery1drdugery2drrudgery1druddgery1drudegry2drudgerry1drudgeryy1drudgeyr2
Edit distance from "drudgery"

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 "drudgery"?
"drudgery" is spelled D-R-U-D-G-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɹʌd͡ʒəɹi/.
What does "drudgery" mean?
As a noun, "drudgery" means: Exhausting, menial, and tedious work.
What words are commonly confused with "drudgery"?
"drudgery" is commonly confused with "drudge". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "drudgery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "drudgery" is /ˈdɹʌd͡ʒəɹi/. 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 "drudgery"?
From drudge (“person who works in a low servile job”) + -ery (suffix meaning ‘the art, craft, or practice of’ forming nouns). 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 "drudgery", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

dogfight#48,197discards#48,191diatribe#48,186Eusebius#48,224

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

disparage13 variantsDempster13 variantsexoplanet13 variantsheadspace13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list