# belfry

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbɛlfɹi/ · frequency rank #49,211

## Definitions
1. A tower or steeple typically containing bells, especially as part of a church.
2. A part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells.
3. A shed.
4. A movable tower used in sieges.
5. An alarm-tower; a watchtower possibly containing an alarm-bell.

## Etymology
From Middle English belfry, bellfray, belfray, berfrey, barfray, from Old French belfroi, berfroi, berfrey, from Late Latin berfrēdus, from Frankish *bergafriþu, from Proto-Germanic *bergafriþuz, equivalent to barrow + frith. English forms containing bel- as opposed to ber- were preferred due to false association with English bell. Cognate with Middle High German bërcvrit, bërvrit (“defensive tower”) (modern German Bergfried), Middle Dutch bergfrede, bergfert. Doublet of bergfried.

## Easily confused with
- **belly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belfry-vs-belly)
- **berry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belfry-vs-berry)
- **beefy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beefy-vs-belfry)

## Common misspellings (10)
`bbelfry`, `beflry`, `belffry`, `belfrry`, `belfryy`, `belfyr`, `bellfry`, `belrfy`, `blefry`, `eblfry`

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