coffin

[ˈkɒfɪn]

/[ˈkɒfɪn]/ noun

The verdict

“coffin” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - längliches, kastenförmiges Behältnis mit Deckel, das meist aus Holz oder Metall besteht und in das ein Leichnam gelegt wird

Corpus desk

Index DE-coffin · coffin · German

coffin · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for coffin
PropertyValue
Headwordcoffin
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈkɒfɪn]
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „coffin“ im Deutschen

coffinliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

coffin is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈkɒfɪn]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 10 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for coffin, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is coffin, spelled C-O-F-F-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    längliches, kastenförmiges Behältnis mit Deckel, das meist aus Holz oder Metall besteht und in das ein Leichnam gelegt wird
  2. 2
    altes Schiff, das eigentlich nicht mehr seetüchtig ist, aber trotzdem noch eingesetzt wird
  3. 3
    altes Flugzeug, das eigentlich nicht mehr flugtauglich ist, aber trotzdem noch eingesetzt wird
  4. 4
    spezielles Behältnis für den Transport und die Lagerung von radioaktivem Material
  5. 5
    viereckiger Kasten an einer alten manuellen Druckerpresse, der auf einem Laufbrett die Form unter den Tiegel der Presse führt
  6. 6
    Kruste aus dicker Hornschicht an den Zehenspitzen eines Pferdes
  7. 7
    Behältnis für den Brennofen, in das Roherzeugnisse aus Steingut, Porzellan für den Brennvorgang platziert werden
  8. 8
    Abbau über Strossen
  9. 9
    trichterförmiger Behälter aus zusammengedrehtem Papier (besonders für Lebensmittel)
  10. 10
    glühendes oblonges Kohlestück, das aus dem Feuer herausplatzt (was dem Aberglauben nach den Tod ankündigen soll)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “She remembered Papa’s coffin draped with the Union Jack. […] It had seemed strange, for Papa had never managed to speak English properly and had been a British subject only for the last year of his life. Then the icy hall and the German musicians playing the Beethoven Seventh which Papa had loved so much; the soldiers of the British Control Commission wh…
  2. “The mutes bore the coffin into the chapel. […] The coffin lay on its bier before the chancel, four tall yellow candles at its corners.”

Synonyms

casketfloating coffincoffin-shipcoffin shipflying coffincaskflasknuclear flaskshipping flaskspent nuclear fuel shipping casktransport casktransport flasktransportation flaskhoof capsulehorny capsulehoofcornetpaper conecoffin-sparkcoffin spark

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "coffin"?
"coffin" is spelled C-O-F-F-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈkɒfɪn].
What does "coffin" mean?
As a noun, "coffin" means: längliches, kastenförmiges Behältnis mit Deckel, das meist aus Holz oder Metall besteht und in das ein Leichnam gelegt wird
How do you pronounce "coffin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coffin" is [ˈkɒfɪn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "coffin" come from?
"coffin" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list