# gaffe vs giraffe

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### gaffe
*noun · IPA /ɡæf/ · frequency rank #43,660*
A foolish and embarrassing error, especially one made in public; a social blunder; a breach of etiquette.

### giraffe
*noun · IPA /dʒɪˈɹɑːf/ · frequency rank #19,096*
A ruminant, of the genus Giraffa, of the African savannah with long legs and highly elongated neck, making them the tallest living animal; yellow fur patterned with dark spots, often in the form of a network; and two or more short, skin-covered horns, so-called; strictly speaking the horn-like projections are ossicones.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaffe-vs-giraffe