View source for Drier - dryer

'''Drier''' and '''dryer''' are permissible variant spellings of the same words, derived from the [[adjective]] and [[adverb]] '''dry'''. Neither is wrong for either meaning, but usage is hardening in the direction here, which AWE advises you to follow.
*'''Dr<big>i</big>er''' is the preferred spelling for the [[comparative]] form of the [[adjective]] '''dry'''. The [[superlative]], likewise, should be '''dr<big>i</big>est'''. The [[past forms]] of the [[verb]] 'to '''dry'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> are always '''dried'''.
*'''Dr<big>y</big>er''' is the spelling for the [[noun]], whether naming a machine, a chemical, or a person. Hence '''hair-dryer''', '''clothes-dryer''', '''hand-dryer''' and '''tumble-dryer''' are preferable spellings.

**This is not universal advice - this is a topic on which development is occurring, and unanimity has not been achieved. On a related spelling, the Concise ''[[A Dictionary of Modern English Usage|Dictionary of Modern English Usage]]'' (ed. Butterfield, 2016) observes, ''[[s.v.]]'' 'dr'''y'''ly', "As the adverb formed from ''dry'', this spelling is nowadays more common than ''drily'' throughout the English-speaking world. The spelling ''drily'' conforms to the rule that words ending in ''–y'' change it to ''–i'' before a suffix. Some people prefer it for that reason, especially in Br[itish] E[nglish], where it is still slightly more frequent than ''dryly''."


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