afford
/əˈfoɹd/verb
afford is spelled A-F-F-O-R-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 37 times per million words in written English, the 2,618th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, afford means “To incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; (usually after an expression of…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in afford?
| Letters | 6: A-F-F-O-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 37 times per million words; the 2,618th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is afford?
Afford appears 37 times per million words in written English, the 2,618th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce afford?
- US /əˈfoɹd/
- US [əˈfo̞ɹd]
- UK /əˈfɔːd/
Afford has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-afford.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with afford?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as afford from its last stressed vowel (/oɹd/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of afford
- affords present, singular, he/she/it
- affording participle, present
- afforded participle, past
- afoord
- affoord
- affoard
- affowrd
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does afford mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; (usually after an expression of ability, as could, able, difficult) to be able or rich enough; to spare.
I think we can afford the extra hour it will take. We can only afford to buy a small car at the moment.
- 2
obsoleteTo offer, provide, or supply, as in selling, granting or expending, with profit, or without too great a loss.
Alfred affords his goods cheaper than Bantock.
- 3
rareTo give forth; to supply, yield, or produce as the natural result, fruit, or issue.
Grapes afford wine. Olives afford oil. The earth affords fruit. The sea affords an abundant supply of fish.
- 4
To give, grant, or confer, with a remoter reference to its being the natural result; to provide; to furnish.
A good life affords consolation in old age.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Afford in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | se permettre , offrir |
| German | sich leisten, imstande sein , gewähren |
| Portuguese | conseguir pagar, lidar , prover, agraciar , fornecer |
| Spanish | costear, permitirse, serle asequible/exequible, alcanzarle |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does afford come from?
From Middle English afforthen, aforthen, avorthien, from earlier iforthen, iforthien, ȝeforthien, from Old English forþian, ġeforþian (“to further, accomplish, afford”), from Proto-Germanic *furþōną, from Proto-Germanic *furþą (“forth, forward”), equivalent to a- + forth. Cognate with Old Norse forða (“to forward oneself, save oneself, escape danger”), Icelandic forða (“to save, rescue”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).