curfew

/ˈkɜː.fjuː/

//ˈkɜː.fjuː// noun

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

"curfew" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“curfew” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,811 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,811
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

curfew vs curve
67% similar
curfew vs curse
67% similar
curfew vs curie
67% similar

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

Key facts for curfew
PropertyValue
Headwordcurfew
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɜː.fjuː/
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,811
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “curfew” 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). curfew lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for curfew is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɜː.fjuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,811 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for curfew, with forms such as "ccurfew", "crufew", and "cufrew". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "curve", "curse", "curie", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English curfu, from Old French cuevre-fu (French couvre-feu), from the imperative of covrir (“to cover”) + fu (“fire”). Compare kerchief. The correct English form is curfew, spelled C-U-R-F-E-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.
  2. 2
    The time when such restriction begins.
  3. 3
    A signal indicating this time.
  4. 4
    A fireplace accessory designed to bank a fire by completely covering the embers.
  5. 5
    A regulation in feudal Europe by which fires had to be covered up or put out at a certain fixed time in the evening, marked by the ringing of an evening bell.
  6. 6
    The evening bell, which continued to be rung in many towns after the regulation itself became obsolete.

Etymology

From Middle English curfu, from Old French cuevre-fu (French couvre-feu), from the imperative of covrir (“to cover”) + fu (“fire”). Compare kerchief.

This word in other languages

toque de queda(Español)couvre-feu(Français)Ausgangssperre(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccurfew,crufew,cufrew,curefw,curfeww,curffew,curfwe,currfew,ucrfew

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of curfew - 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.

ccurfew1crufew2cufrew2curefw2curfeww1curffew1curfwe2currfew1
Edit distance from "curfew"

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 "curfew"?
"curfew" is spelled C-U-R-F-E-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɜː.fjuː/.
What does "curfew" mean?
As a noun, "curfew" means: Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.
What words are commonly confused with "curfew"?
"curfew" is commonly confused with "curve", "curse", "curie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "curfew"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "curfew" is /ˈkɜː.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 "curfew"?
From Middle English curfu, from Old French cuevre-fu (French couvre-feu), from the imperative of covrir (“to cover”) + fu (“fire”). Compare kerchief. 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.

Using “curfew”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-U-R-F-E-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkɜː.fjuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “curve” - see the side-by-side comparison. curfew vs curve
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list