alfalfa

Name: alfalfa, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ælˈfælfə/

//ælˈfælfə// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“alfalfa” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,034. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,034
frequency rank, English: 35,202
“A” headwords: 10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.

Key facts for alfalfa
Property	Value
Headword	alfalfa
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ælˈfælfə/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#36,034
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alfalfa” sits in English 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). alfalfa lands here:

#36,034

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around alfalfa (IPA /ælˈfælfə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,034 among 35,202 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for alfalfa, with forms such as "aflalfa", "alaflfa", and "alfafla". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *h₁éḱwos Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *HéHḱus Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos Proto-Indo-Iranian *Háćwas Proto-Iranian *Hácwah Proto-Iranian *Hástiš Proto-Iranian *HacwaHastiš Old Median *aspāstišder. Arabic فَصْفَص (faṣfaṣ)bor. Old Spanish alf… The correct English form is alfalfa, spelled A-L-F-A-L-F-A.

Definition

1
A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.
2
A type or breed of this plant.

Etymology

PIE word *h₁éḱwos Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *HéHḱus Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos Proto-Indo-Iranian *Háćwas Proto-Iranian *Hácwah Proto-Iranian *Hástiš Proto-Iranian *HacwaHastiš Old Median *aspāstišder. Arabic فَصْفَص (faṣfaṣ)bor. Old Spanish alfalfez Spanish alfalfabor. English alfalfa From Spanish alfalfa, from Old Spanish alfalfez, from Arabic الْفَصْفَصَة (al-faṣfaṣa, “alfalfa, lucerne”).

This word in other languages

alfalfa(Español)luzerne(Français)Luzerne(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aflalfa,alaflfa,alfafla,alfalaf,alfalffa,alfallfa,alffalfa,alflafa,allfalfa,lafalfa

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of alfalfa - 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.

Edit distance from "alfalfa"

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 "alfalfa"?

"alfalfa" is spelled A-L-F-A-L-F-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ælˈfælfə/.

What does "alfalfa" mean?

As a noun, "alfalfa" means: A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.

What are common misspellings of "alfalfa"?

Common misspellings include "aflalfa", "alaflfa", "alfafla", "alfalaf", "alfalffa". The correct spelling is "alfalfa".

How do you pronounce "alfalfa"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alfalfa" is /ælˈfælfə/. 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 "alfalfa"?

PIE word *h₁éḱwos Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *HéHḱus Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos Proto-Indo-Iranian *Háćwas Proto-Iranian *Hácwah Proto-Iranian *Hástiš Proto-Iranian *HacwaHastiš Old Median *aspāstišder. Arabic فَصْفَص (faṣfaṣ)bor. Old S... See the full etymology section above for more details.

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Using “alfalfa”

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

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

Same frequency band

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.