drama and play share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. drama means “a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage”. play means “participate in games or sport”. play is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈdɹɑmə/
1.n.a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
“he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway”
2.n.an episode that is turbulent or highly emotional
3.n.the literary genre of works intended for the theater
/ˈpleɪ/
1.v.participate in games or sport
“We played hockey all afternoon”
2.v.act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome
“This factor played only a minor part in his decision”
3.v.play on an instrument
“The band played all night long”
| drama | play | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɹɑmə/ | /ˈpleɪ/ |
| Said | DRAH-muh | play |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Letters | 5 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun | verb, noun |
| Senses | 4 | 52 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | play, dramatic play | none recorded |
Full entry for drama · Full entry for play · More comparisons