Corfu

/ˈkɔɹ.fjuː/

//ˈkɔɹ.fjuː// name

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

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

The verdict

“Corfu” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,587. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,587
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An island of Greece, one of the Ionian Islands. The ancient name is Corcyra (Κόρκῡρα (Kórkūra), more often Κέρκῡρα (Kérkūra)), in Modern Greek Kérkira (Κέρκυρα (Kérkyra)).

Corpus desk

Index EN-corfu · Corfu · English

Corfu · rank #42,587 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,587
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH congestive

Nearest frequency peer: congestive (-2 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Corfu”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Corfu” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Corfu vs cru
40% similar
Corfu vs corn
40% similar
Corfu vs cork
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Corfu
PropertyValue
HeadwordCorfu
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈkɔɹ.fjuː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#42,587
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Corfu”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Corfulands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “congestive” (#42,585), “cupola” (#42,589), “dabble” (#42,590). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “Corfu” is #42,587. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Corfu (IPA /ˈkɔɹ.fjuː/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #42,587 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Corfu, with forms such as "ccorfu", "cofru", and "corffu". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cru", "corn", "cork", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian Corfù, from Ancient Greek Κορυφώ (Koruphṓ), from κορυφή (koruphḗ) ("summit", "mountain peak"). Named after the twin peaks of the Old Fortress of Corfu. The correct English form is Corfu, spelled C-O-R-F-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    An island of Greece, one of the Ionian Islands. The ancient name is Corcyra (Κόρκῡρα (Kórkūra), more often Κέρκῡρα (Kérkūra)), in Modern Greek Kérkira (Κέρκυρα (Kérkyra)).
  2. 2
    The capital of Corfu.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Magazines kept aristocrats on the payroll to facilitate access to jet-set playgrounds like Corfu and Mustique.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian Corfù, from Ancient Greek Κορυφώ (Koruphṓ), from κορυφή (koruphḗ) ("summit", "mountain peak"). Named after the twin peaks of the Old Fortress of Corfu.

This word in other languages

Corfou(Français)Korfu(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccorfu
  • cofru
  • corffu
  • corrfu
  • coruf
  • crofu
  • ocrfu

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Corfu - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccorfu1cofru2corffu1corrfu1coruf2crofu2ocrfu2
Edit distance from "Corfu"

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 "Corfu"?
"Corfu" is spelled C-O-R-F-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɔɹ.fjuː/.
What does "Corfu" mean?
As a proper noun, "Corfu" means: An island of Greece, one of the Ionian Islands. The ancient name is Corcyra (Κόρκῡρα (Kórkūra), more often Κέρκῡρα (Kérkūra)), in Modern Greek Kérkira (Κέρκυρα (Kérkyra)).
What words are commonly confused with "Corfu"?
"Corfu" is commonly confused with "cru", "corn", "cork". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Corfu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Corfu" is /ˈkɔɹ.fjuː/. 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 "Corfu"?
Borrowed from Italian Corfù, from Ancient Greek Κορυφώ (Koruphṓ), from κορυφή (koruphḗ) ("summit", "mountain peak"). Named after the twin peaks of the Old Fortress of Corfu. 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 "Corfu", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Daesh#42,591busby#42,563dopey#42,613ducky#42,615

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

dabble7 variantsbookie7 variantsgoatee7 variantsXhosa7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list