counterfeit

/ˈkaʊn.tɚˌfɪt/

//ˈkaʊn.tɚˌfɪt// adj

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

"counterfeit" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“counterfeit” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,335. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,335
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - False, especially of money; intended to deceive or carry appearance of being genuine.

Corpus desk

Index EN-counterfeit · counterfeit · English

counterfeit · rank #17,335 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,335
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH correctness

Nearest frequency peer: correctness (-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 “counterfeit”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “counterfeit” 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 2, 2026
Key facts for counterfeit
PropertyValue
Headwordcounterfeit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkaʊn.tɚˌfɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#17,335
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “counterfeit” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around counterfeit (IPA /ˈkaʊn.tɚˌfɪt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #17,335 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for counterfeit, with forms such as "ccounterfeit", "conuterfeit", and "counetrfeit". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English counterfeit, countrefet, from Anglo-Norman countrefait, from Old French contrefait, from Latin contra- (“against”) + Latin facere (“to make”). Piecewise doublet of contrafactum. The correct English form is counterfeit, spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-R-F-E-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    False, especially of money; intended to deceive or carry appearance of being genuine.
  2. 2
    Inauthentic.
  3. 3
    Assuming the appearance of something; deceitful; hypocritical.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This counterfeit watch looks like the real thing, but it broke a week after I bought it.
  2. Finding out Irish people might have been slaves is kind of like finding a counterfeit bill where you're like, "You think I can use this for something?"

Etymology

From Middle English counterfeit, countrefet, from Anglo-Norman countrefait, from Old French contrefait, from Latin contra- (“against”) + Latin facere (“to make”). Piecewise doublet of contrafactum.

This word in other languages

contrahecho(Español)contrefait(Français)gefälscht(Deutsch)falsificado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccounterfeit
  • conuterfeit
  • counetrfeit
  • counnterfeit
  • countefreit
  • counterefit
  • counterfeitt
  • counterfeti
  • counterffeit
  • counterfiet
  • counterrfeit
  • countrefeit
  • countterfeit
  • coutnerfeit
  • cuonterfeit
  • ocunterfeit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of counterfeit - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccounterfeit1conuterfeit2counetrfeit2counnterfeit1countefreit2counterefit2counterfeitt1counterfeti2
Edit distance from "counterfeit"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "counterfeit"?
"counterfeit" is spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-R-F-E-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkaʊn.tɚˌfɪt/.
What does "counterfeit" mean?
As an adjective, "counterfeit" means: False, especially of money; intended to deceive or carry appearance of being genuine.
What are common misspellings of "counterfeit"?
Common misspellings include "ccounterfeit", "conuterfeit", "counetrfeit", "counnterfeit", "countefreit". The correct spelling is "counterfeit".
How do you pronounce "counterfeit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "counterfeit" is /ˈkaʊn.tɚˌfɪt/. 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 "counterfeit"?
From Middle English counterfeit, countrefet, from Anglo-Norman countrefait, from Old French contrefait, from Latin contra- (“against”) + Latin facere (“to make”). Piecewise doublet of contrafactum. 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 "counterfeit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

correctness#17,334cornerstone#17,333conditioner#17,327coefficient#17,322

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

condemning16 variantscheckpoint16 variantsBournemouth16 variantsarticulated16 variants
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