drunk

/dɹʌŋk/

//dɹʌŋk// adj

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

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

The verdict

“drunk” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,439 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#2,439
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Intoxicated as a result of excessive alcohol consumption, usually by drinking alcoholic beverages.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

drunk vs dun
60% similar
drunk vs duck
60% similar
drunk vs Dunn
40% similar

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

Key facts for drunk
PropertyValue
Headworddrunk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɹʌŋk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,439
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “drunk” 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). drunk 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 drunk is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɹʌŋk/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,439 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for drunk, with forms such as "ddrunk", "drnuk", and "drrunk". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dun", "duck", "Dunn", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English drunke, drunken, ydrunke, ydrunken, from Old English druncen, ġedruncen (“drunk”), from Proto-Germanic *drunkanaz, *gadrunkanaz (“drunk; drunken”), past participle of Proto-Germanic *drinkaną (“to drink”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian … The correct English form is drunk, spelled D-R-U-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Intoxicated as a result of excessive alcohol consumption, usually by drinking alcoholic beverages.
  2. 2
    Habitually or frequently in a state of intoxication.
  3. 3
    Elated or emboldened.
  4. 4
    Drenched or saturated with moisture or liquid.

Etymology

From Middle English drunke, drunken, ydrunke, ydrunken, from Old English druncen, ġedruncen (“drunk”), from Proto-Germanic *drunkanaz, *gadrunkanaz (“drunk; drunken”), past participle of Proto-Germanic *drinkaną (“to drink”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian dronken, West Frisian dronken, Dutch dronken, gedronken, German Low German drunken, bedrunken, German trunken, getrunken, betrunken, Swedish drucken, Icelandic drukkinn.

Synonyms

boozysottishwettipsybuzzedAdrian Quistadripaled upall mops and broomsarseholeda sheet in the winda sheet in the wind's eyebedrunkenbefuddledbeliquoredbesottedbesottenbevviedbibaciousbibulousbinnedbingoedbladderedblastedblewedblindblind drunkblitzedblockedblooteredblottoedbluebollocksedbombedboskybottledBrahmsBrahms and Lisztbudgybungalowedbungfuburlin'cannedclobberedcornedcockedcockeyedcrapulouscrockedcuntedcup-shotcup-shottencutdead drunkdestroyeddisguiseddrunkdrunk as a piperdrunked updrunkenebriatedebrioseelephant'selephant's trunkelevatedfacedfapfershnickeredflooeyflooredflushflushedflusteredflutedflutheredfeeling no painfoufour sheets in the windfreshfriedfrostedfuckered upfuckfacedfuddledfullfuzzy-headedfuzzy-mindedgassedgatteredgee-eyedgesuipginnedgishedgloriousgroggifiedgroggyhalf pollutedhalf cuthalf lithalf seas overhammeredhave drink takenhave the sun in one's eyeshazedhigh as a Georgia pinehigh as a kitehighhog-whimperinghonkershooched uphootedhooveredhosedhow came you soimpairedin liquorin one's altitudesin one's cupsin the bagin the drinkinebriateinebriatedinebriousinsoberinsobrietousinter poculajakedjarredjuicedjuiced upkayliedkiskylampedlangeredlangerslarrupedlashlashedlatheredleglessliquored upliquorylitloadedloopedloopylooselubedlubed uplubricatedlushedmad with itmaggotmaggotedmashedmaudlinmedicatedmessed upmongedmortalmortalledMozart and LisztmuddledmuggymulleredmuntedmuzzyMWInappynewtednimptopsicalobfuscatedobliviatedoff one's boxoff one's headoff one's titsoiledoiled upOliverOliver Twiston the ran tanossifiedout of itout of one's boxout of one's faceout of one's headout of sightovercomeoverrefreshedovertakenparalyticparlaticpickledpie-eyedpixilatedplasteredploughedplowedpollutedpotshotpottedpoundedprimedpuggledquisbyraddledrat-arsedrattedrazzledriperippedrollingrubberedsaucedsauced upscammeredschloshedschnockeredscrewedscutteredsewed upsheddedshellackedshickershickeredshittyskunkedslammedslarmiedslizzardsloppy drunksloshedsmashedsnockeredsnookeredsnozzledsnuffysoakensoddensoshedsottedsouped-upsousedsozzledsozzlyspanceledspanneredspiffedsplashedspongysprungsquiffedsteamboatsstewedstinkingstinkostoatedstonedstonkeredstotiousstrutswackedtankedtanked uptemulenttemulentivethree sheets in the windthree sheets to the windthrowedtight as a ticktighttiltedtippledtired and emotionaltoastedtop-heavytop-heavy with drinktopingtrashedtunedtwatfacedtwistedwasteywazzedwazzockedwell-oiledwelliedwhittledwitheredwobblywoozyworse for liquorworse for wearwreckedzonedzonkedzootedzorchedzotzed

Antonyms

abstemiouscleanclearheadedon the wagonsobersober as a judgeteetotal

This word in other languages

borracho(Español)ivre(Français)betrunken(Deutsch)bêbado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddrunk,drnuk,drrunk,drukn,drunkk,drunnk,durnk,rdunk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddrunk1drnuk2drrunk1drukn2drunkk1drunnk1durnk2rdunk2
Edit distance from "drunk"

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 "drunk"?
"drunk" is spelled D-R-U-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /dɹʌŋk/.
What does "drunk" mean?
As an adjective, "drunk" means: Intoxicated as a result of excessive alcohol consumption, usually by drinking alcoholic beverages.
What words are commonly confused with "drunk"?
"drunk" is commonly confused with "dun", "duck", "Dunn". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "drunk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "drunk" is /dɹʌŋk/. 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 "drunk"?
From Middle English drunke, drunken, ydrunke, ydrunken, from Old English druncen, ġedruncen (“drunk”), from Proto-Germanic *drunkanaz, *gadrunkanaz (“drunk; drunken”), past participle of Proto-Germanic *drinkaną (“to drink”). Cognate with Saterlan... 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 “drunk”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-R-U-N-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɹʌŋk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “dun” - see the side-by-side comparison. drunk vs dun
  • 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