befit

/bɪˈfɪt/

//bɪˈfɪt// verb

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

"befit" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“befit” is uncommon English (frequency #87,064 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,064
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - to be fit for

Corpus desk

Index EN-befit · befit · English

befit · rank #87,064 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,064
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH beefsteak

Nearest frequency peer: beefsteak (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “befit”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “befit” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for befit
PropertyValue
Headwordbefit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɪˈfɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#87,064
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “befit” in English

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).befitfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “beefsteak” (#87,063), “bendable” (#87,065), “beardless” (#87,061). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “befit” is #87,064. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

befit is uncommon English at frequency #87,064 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /bɪˈfɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "to be fit for".

befit has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From be- + fit. The correct English form is befit, spelled B-E-F-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    to be fit for

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His conduct was not befitting an officer of his station.
  2. Clarke's side roared back with courage and belief befitting a team who had held their nerve in two shootouts to get here.

Etymology

From be- + fit.

Synonyms

behoovebehove

This word in other languages

anstehen(Deutsch)

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 "befit"?
"befit" is spelled B-E-F-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈfɪt/.
What does "befit" mean?
As a verb, "befit" means: to be fit for
How do you pronounce "befit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "befit" is /bɪˈfɪt/. 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 "befit"?
From be- + fit. 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 "befit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bessy#87,068bazin#87,059bigge#87,074bipod#87,077

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list