coif

/kwɑf/

//kwɑf// noun

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

"coif" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coif” is uncommon English (frequency #85,122 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,122
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A hairdo.

Corpus desk

Index EN-coif · coif · English

coif · rank #85,122 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,122
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH clonazepam

Nearest frequency peer: clonazepam (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “coif”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “coif” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for coif
PropertyValue
Headwordcoif
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kwɑf/
Letters4
Frequency rank#85,122
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “coif” sits in English frequency

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).coiflands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “clonazepam” (#85,121), “coital” (#85,123), “cishet” (#85,118). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

coif is uncommon English at frequency #85,122 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kwɑf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for coif in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English coif, coife, coyf, coyfe, coyffe, from Old French coife, coiffe, from Late Latin cofia, from Proto-West Germanic *kuffju, related to Old High German kupphia, kupha, kupfe (“mug, hood, cap”), from Proto-Germanic *kuppijǭ (“cap, hat, bonne… The correct English form is coif, spelled C-O-I-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hairdo.
  2. 2
    A hood; a close-fitting cap covering much of the head, widespread until the 18th century; after that worn only by small children and country women.
  3. 3
    A similar item of mail armour covering the head.
  4. 4
    An official headdress, such as that worn by certain judges in England.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He decides to muscle in on the act, styling his hair after Kirk’s signature coif (“the stupidest haircut I’ve ever seen,” says one character), trolling college girls on social media and proclaiming himself a “master-debater”.
  2. From point and saucy ermine down / To the plain coif and russet gown.

Etymology

From Middle English coif, coife, coyf, coyfe, coyffe, from Old French coife, coiffe, from Late Latin cofia, from Proto-West Germanic *kuffju, related to Old High German kupphia, kupha, kupfe (“mug, hood, cap”), from Proto-Germanic *kuppijǭ (“cap, hat, bonnet, headpiece”), Proto-Germanic *kuppō (“vat, mug, cup”), from pre-Germanic *kubná-, from Proto-Indo-European *gup- (“round object, knoll”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend, curve, arch, vault”). Cognate with Middle High German kupfe (“cap, headgear, helmet”).

This word in other languages

peinado(Español)coiffure(Français)

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 "coif"?
"coif" is spelled C-O-I-F. The IPA pronunciation is /kwɑf/.
What does "coif" mean?
As a noun, "coif" means: A hairdo.
How do you pronounce "coif"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coif" is /kwɑf/. 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 "coif"?
From Middle English coif, coife, coyf, coyfe, coyffe, from Old French coife, coiffe, from Late Latin cofia, from Proto-West Germanic *kuffju, related to Old High German kupphia, kupha, kupfe (“mug, hood, cap”), from Proto-Germanic *kuppijǭ (“cap, ... 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 "coif", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Copp#85,134dala#85,152Diab#85,171bote#85,054

What to do next

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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