# Alfred

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈælfɹəd/ · frequency rank #7,196

## Definitions
1. Alfred the Great, early king of England.
2. A male given name from Old English.
3. A surname originating as a patronymic.
4. A town, the county seat of York County, Maine, United States.
5. A town in Allegany County, New York, United States.
6. A community in Alfred and Plantagenet township, Ontario, Canada.

## Etymology
From Middle English Alfred, from Old English Ælfrǣd, from ælf (“elf”) + rǣd (“counsel”). Doublet of Alfredo and Avery.
The modern pronunciation with /f/ is a spelling pronunciation; the name in Old English was pronounced with [v], as shown in its Middle English descendant Alured (in which u stands for modern v).

## Easily confused with
- **allied** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alfred-vs-allied)
- **altered** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alfred-vs-altered)
- **Alfredo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alfred-vs-alfredo)
- **aired** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aired-vs-alfred)
- **Alfie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alfie-vs-alfred)
- **adored** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/adored-vs-alfred)
- **Alford** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alford-vs-alfred)
- **alarmed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alarmed-vs-alfred)

## Common misspellings (9)
`aflred`, `alferd`, `alffred`, `alfrde`, `alfredd`, `alfrred`, `allfred`, `alrfed`, `lafred`

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