gaffel

[ˈɡafəl]

/[ˈɡafəl]/ noun

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

The verdict

“gaffel” is uncommon German (frequency #98,452 among 54,401 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#98,452
frequency rank, German
54,401
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - drei- oder vierzinkiges Teil des Essbestecks; Gabel

Key facts for gaffel
PropertyValue
Headwordgaffel
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈɡafəl]
Letters6
Frequency rank#98,452
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gaffel” sits in German 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). gaffel lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gaffel is uncommon German at frequency #98,452 among 54,401 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈɡafəl]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for gaffel, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is gaffel, spelled G-A-F-F-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    drei- oder vierzinkiges Teil des Essbestecks; Gabel
  2. 2
    eine Stange am Mast eines Schiffes, die ein Gaffelsegel trägt; Gaffel

This word in other languages

fork(English)

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gaffel"?
"gaffel" is spelled G-A-F-F-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɡafəl].
What does "gaffel" mean?
As a noun, "gaffel" means: drei- oder vierzinkiges Teil des Essbestecks; Gabel
How do you pronounce "gaffel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gaffel" is [ˈɡafəl]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gaffel" come from?
"gaffel" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “gaffel”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is G-A-F-F-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈɡafəl] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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