alfalfa

/ælˈfælfə/

//ælˈfælfə// noun

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

"alfalfa" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

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
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alfalfa · alfalfa · English

alfalfa · rank #36,034 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,034
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH aimlessly

Nearest frequency peer: aimlessly (-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 “alfalfa”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “alfalfa” 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
Key facts for alfalfa
PropertyValue
Headwordalfalfa
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ælˈfælfə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#36,034
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “alfalfa”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).alfalfalands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “aimlessly” (#36,033), “adoring” (#36,031), “Andrey” (#36,037). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “alfalfa” is #36,034. 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 3,931 “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. 1
    A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.
  2. 2
    A type or breed of this plant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. “No place for rabbits now, but I could easy build a few hutches and you could feed alfalfa to the rabbits.”

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.

aflalfa2alaflfa2alfafla2alfalaf2alfalffa1alfallfa1alffalfa1alflafa2
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.
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 "alfalfa", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

adoring#36,031Ashanti#36,040atelier#36,042Bristow#36,056

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

appellant10 variantsabetting10 variantswretch10 variantsVilnius10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list