auriferous

/ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/

//ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs// adj

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

"auriferous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“auriferous” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Containing or producing gold; gold-bearing.

Key facts for auriferous
PropertyValue
Headwordauriferous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “auriferous” sits in English frequency

auriferous falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

auriferous is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Containing or producing gold; gold-bearing.".

auriferous has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin aurifer (“gold-bearing”) + the English suffix -ous. The Latin term in turn derived from aurum (“gold”) + ferō (“I carry”). The correct English form is auriferous, spelled A-U-R-I-F-E-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Containing or producing gold; gold-bearing.

Etymology

From Latin aurifer (“gold-bearing”) + the English suffix -ous. The Latin term in turn derived from aurum (“gold”) + ferō (“I carry”).

This word in other languages

aurífero(Español)aurifère(Français)goldhaltig(Deutsch)aurífero(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "auriferous"?
"auriferous" is spelled A-U-R-I-F-E-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/.
What does "auriferous" mean?
As an adjective, "auriferous" means: Containing or producing gold; gold-bearing.
How do you pronounce "auriferous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "auriferous" is /ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/. 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 "auriferous"?
From Latin aurifer (“gold-bearing”) + the English suffix -ous. The Latin term in turn derived from aurum (“gold”) + ferō (“I carry”). 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.

Using “auriferous”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-U-R-I-F-E-R-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɔːˈɹɪfəɹəs/ (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
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list