confer
/kənˈfɜɹ/verb
confer is spelled C-O-N-F-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, confer means “To grant as a possession; to bestow” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in confer?
| Letters | 6: C-O-N-F-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,651st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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 confer?
Confer appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st 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 confer?
- UK /kənˈfɜː/
- US /kənˈfɜɹ/
- US [kʰə̥ɱˈfɝ]
Confer 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Mélange_a_trois-confer.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-confer.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with confer?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as confer from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹ/):
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 confer
- confers present, singular, he/she/it
- conferring participle, present
- conferred participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does confer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To grant as a possession; to bestow.
The college has conferred an honorary degree upon the visiting Prime Minister.
- 2
To talk together, to consult, discuss; to collogue.
They were in a huddle, conferring about something.
- 3
obsoleteTo compare.
The Newe Testament ... Conferred diligently with the Greke, and best approued translations.
- 4
obsoleteTo bring together; to collect, gather.
- 5
obsoleteTo contribute; to conduce.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Confer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | conférer, accorder, décerner |
| German | übertragen, erteilen, verleihen , beraten, konferieren, besprechen |
| Portuguese | conferir |
| Spanish | conferir , debatir, consultar |
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 confer come from?
From Early Modern English conferre, from Middle French conférer, from Old French conferer, from Latin cōnferō. Compare Dutch confereren, German konferieren, Danish konferere, Swedish konferera. Doublet of collate. See also infer, relate and refer, delate and defer, as well as prelate and prefer among others.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).