cuff
/kʌf/noun, verb
cuff is spelled C-U-F-F: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,731st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cuff means “The end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cuff is cuffs.
How many letters and syllables are in cuff?
| Letters | 4: C-U-F-F |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,731st 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 cuff?
Cuff appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,731st 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 cuff?
- US /kʌf/
- Australia /kɐf/
- /kʊf/
Cuff has one syllable (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)-Vealhurl-cuff.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with cuff?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as cuff from its last stressed vowel (/ʌf/):
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 cuff
- cuffs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cuffing participle, present
- cuffed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cuff mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteGlove; mitten
- 2
The end of a shirt sleeve that covers the wrist.
- 3
The end of a pants leg when folded up.
- 4
A surgical procedure in which parts of the body that were not previously connected are stitched together.
- 5
informalA handcuff.
- 6
A blow, especially with the open hand; a box; a slap.
- 7
ScotlandThe scruff of the neck.
verb
- 1
To furnish with cuffs.
- 2
To handcuff.
- 3
slangTo enter into a committed romantic relationship with (someone).
cuffing season
- 4
To hit, as a reproach, particularly with the open palm to the head; to slap.
- 5
To fight; to scuffle; to box.
- 6
To buffet.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cuff in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | manchette , revers , gifler, souffleter |
| German | Manschette, Bündchen, Ärmelbündchen, Hemdmanschette, Luftmanschette , Aufschlag |
| Portuguese | punho , barra |
| Spanish | puño, ruedo , bajo, vuelta, bastilla , abofetear |
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 cuff come from?
From Middle English cuffe, coffe (“glove, mitten”), of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old English cuffie (“hood, cap”), from Medieval Latin cofia, cofea, cuffa, cuphia (“helmet, headdress, hood, cap”), from Frankish *kuf(f)ja (“headdress”), from Proto-West Germanic *kuffju, from Proto-Germanic *kupjō (“cap”). Cognate with Middle High German kupfe (“cap”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).