afford

/əˈfoɹd/

//əˈfoɹd// verb

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

"afford" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“afford” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,609. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,609
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - 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 r...

Corpus desk

Index EN-afford · afford · English

afford · rank #2,609 · 7 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,609
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Adam

Nearest frequency peer: Adam (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “afford”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “afford” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

afford vs Alford
67% similar
afford vs affords
86% similar
afford vs Ashford
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for afford
PropertyValue
Headwordafford
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈfoɹd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,609
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “afford”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).affordlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Adam” (#2,608), “Andrew” (#2,610), “achieve” (#2,607). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “afford” is #2,609. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around afford (IPA /əˈfoɹd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,609 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for afford, with forms such as "affodr", "affordd", and "afforrd". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Alford", "affords", "Ashford", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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… The correct English form is afford, spelled A-F-F-O-R-D.

Definition

  1. 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.
  2. 2
    To offer, provide, or supply, as in selling, granting or expending, with profit, or without too great a loss.
  3. 3
    To give forth; to supply, yield, or produce as the natural result, fruit, or issue.
  4. 4
    To give, grant, or confer, with a remoter reference to its being the natural result; to provide; to furnish.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I think we can afford the extra hour it will take. We can only afford to buy a small car at the moment.
  2. “[…] We are engaged in a great work, a treatise on our river fortifications, perhaps? But since when did army officers afford the luxury of amanuenses in this simple republic?[…]”

Etymology

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”).

This word in other languages

costear(Español)offrir(Français)gewähren(Deutsch)lidar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • affodr
  • affordd
  • afforrd
  • affrod
  • afofrd
  • aford
  • faford

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of afford - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

affodr2affordd1afforrd1affrod2afofrd2aford1faford2
Edit distance from "afford"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "afford"?
"afford" is spelled A-F-F-O-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈfoɹd/.
What does "afford" mean?
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 ability, as could, able, difficult) to be able or r...
What words are commonly confused with "afford"?
"afford" is commonly confused with "Alford", "affords", "Ashford". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "afford"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "afford" is /əˈfoɹd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "afford"?
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”), ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "afford", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Andrew#2,610assume#2,611bottle#2,613cheese#2,617

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

teeth7 variantsfruit7 variantsindex7 variantsoccurred7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list