daff
/dæf/noun, verb
daff is spelled D-A-F-F: 4 letters. It appears about once in every 22 million words in written English, the 143,405th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, daff means “A fool; an idiot; a blockhead” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of daff is daffs.
How many letters and syllables are in daff?
| Letters | 4: D-A-F-F |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 22 million words; the 143,405th 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; 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 daff?
Daff appears about once in every 22 million words in written English, the 143,405th 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 daff?
- UK /dæf/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-daff.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with daff?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as daff from its last stressed vowel (/æf/, British pronunciation):
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 daff
- daffs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- daffing participle, present
- daffed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does daff mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A fool; an idiot; a blockhead.
- 2
UKinformalClipping of daffodil.
Get your daffs here - £2 a bunch.
- 3
Alternative form of daf (“type of drum”).
- 4
obsoleteA preparation of gypsum once used to adulterate food products.
verb
- 1
ScotlandTo be foolish; make sport; play; toy.
- 2
UKobsoleteTo daunt.
- 3
To toss (aside); to dismiss.
- 4
To turn (someone) aside; divert.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does daff come from?
From Middle English daf, daffe (“fool, idiot”), from Old Norse daufr (“deaf, stupid”), from Proto-Germanic *daubaz (“deaf, stunned”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“to whisk, whirl, smoke, be obscure”). Doublet of deaf, dof, and dowf. Cognate with Swedish döv (“deaf”), Danish døv (“deaf, stupid”). More at deaf.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).