autofocus

noun

"autofocus" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“autofocus” is an uncommon English word, ranked #51,551 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#51,551
frequency rank, English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A feature of some cameras and other optical systems that allows a correct focus on the subject to be obtained automatically

Key facts for autofocus
PropertyValue
Headwordautofocus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#51,551
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “autofocus” 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). autofocus lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for autofocus is 9 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #51,551 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A feature of some cameras and other optical systems that allows a correct focus on the subject to be obtained automatically".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for autofocus, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From auto- + focus. The correct English form is autofocus, spelled A-U-T-O-F-O-C-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A feature of some cameras and other optical systems that allows a correct focus on the subject to be obtained automatically

Etymology

From auto- + focus.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "autofocus"?
"autofocus" is spelled A-U-T-O-F-O-C-U-S.
What does "autofocus" mean?
As a noun, "autofocus" means: A feature of some cameras and other optical systems that allows a correct focus on the subject to be obtained automatically
What is the origin of the word "autofocus"?
From auto- + focus. 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 “autofocus”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-U-T-O-F-O-C-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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