daffy

/ˈdæfi/

//ˈdæfi// adj

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

The verdict

“daffy” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #43,102 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#43,102
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Somewhat mad or eccentric.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

daffy vs day
60% similar
daffy vs Daly
40% similar
daffy vs daft
60% similar

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

Key facts for daffy
PropertyValue
Headworddaffy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdæfi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#43,102
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “daffy” 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). daffy 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 daffy is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdæfi/. Corpus data places it at rank #43,102 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Somewhat mad or eccentric.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for daffy, with forms such as "adffy", "daffyy", and "dafy". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "day", "Daly", "daft", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From daff + -y. The correct English form is daffy, spelled D-A-F-F-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Somewhat mad or eccentric.

Etymology

From daff + -y.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: adffy,daffyy,dafy,dafyf,ddaffy,dfafy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of daffy - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

adffy2daffyy1dafy1dafyf2ddaffy1dfafy2
Edit distance from "daffy"

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 "daffy"?
"daffy" is spelled D-A-F-F-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdæfi/.
What does "daffy" mean?
As an adjective, "daffy" means: Somewhat mad or eccentric.
What words are commonly confused with "daffy"?
"daffy" is commonly confused with "day", "Daly", "daft". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "daffy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "daffy" is /ˈdæfi/. 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 "daffy"?
From daff + -y. 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 “daffy”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-A-F-F-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdæfi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “day” - see the side-by-side comparison. daffy vs day
  • 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