coffer
/ˈkɔfɚ/noun, verb
coffer is spelled C-O-F-F-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, coffer means “A strong chest or box used for keeping money or valuables safe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of coffer is coffers.
How many letters and syllables are in coffer?
| Letters | 6: C-O-F-F-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 76,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is coffer?
Coffer appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce coffer?
- UK /ˈkɒfə/
- US /ˈkɔfɚ/
- /ˈkɑfɚ/
Coffer has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-coffer.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with coffer
Sounds like: cougher (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with coffer?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as coffer from its last stressed vowel (/ɔfəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of coffer
- coffers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- copher
- cophre
- coffering participle, present
- coffered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does coffer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A strong chest or box used for keeping money or valuables safe.
- 2
An ornamental sunken panel in a ceiling or dome.
- 3
A temporary watertight structure used during underwater construction of bridges, causeways, ships, etc.
- 4
A supply or store of money, often belonging to an organization.
- 5
A trench dug in the bottom of a dry moat, and extending across it, to enable the besieged to defend it with raking fire.
verb
- 1
To put money or valuables in a coffer.
- 2
To decorate something, especially a ceiling, with coffers.
- 3
To panel, frame, or border with a raised protective trim.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Coffer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | coffre , caisson |
| German | Kassette, Geldkassette, Tresor, Schatztruhe, Truhe, Kiste |
| Portuguese | cofre , caixotão |
| Spanish | cofre , casetón , arcas |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does coffer come from?
From Middle English cofre, coffre, from Old French cofre, coffre, from Latin cophinus (“basket”), from Ancient Greek κόφινος (kóphinos, “basket”). Doublet of coffin. Cognate with German Koffer (“a suitcase”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).