godfather

/ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ/

//ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ// noun

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

"godfather" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“godfather” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,243 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,243
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A man present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner; a male godparent who sponsors the baptism of a child.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

godfather vs godmother
78% similar

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

Key facts for godfather
PropertyValue
Headwordgodfather
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#16,243
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “godfather” 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). godfather 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 godfather is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,243 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for godfather, with forms such as "gdofather", "ggodfather", and "godafther". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "godmother", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English godfader, from Old English godfæder (“godfather”), equivalent to god- + father. Cognate with Old Saxon godfadar (“godfather”), Middle Dutch godvader (“godfather”), Danish gudfader, gudfar (“godfather”), Swedish gudfader, gudfar (“godfath… The correct English form is godfather, spelled G-O-D-F-A-T-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A man present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner; a male godparent who sponsors the baptism of a child.
  2. 2
    Someone who plays a key role in fostering the development of something.
  3. 3
    A mafia leader.
  4. 4
    A small post which is used in repairing a fence. For instance attached to and supporting an existing broken fence post.

Etymology

From Middle English godfader, from Old English godfæder (“godfather”), equivalent to god- + father. Cognate with Old Saxon godfadar (“godfather”), Middle Dutch godvader (“godfather”), Danish gudfader, gudfar (“godfather”), Swedish gudfader, gudfar (“godfather”), Icelandic guðfaðir (“godfather”).

Synonyms

godpa

This word in other languages

padrino(Español)parrain(Français)Pate(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: gdofather,ggodfather,godafther,goddfather,godfahter,godfatehr,godfatherr,godfathher,godfathre,godfatther,godffather,godftaher,gofdather,ogdfather

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

gdofather2ggodfather1godafther2goddfather1godfahter2godfatehr2godfatherr1godfathher1
Edit distance from "godfather"

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 "godfather"?
"godfather" is spelled G-O-D-F-A-T-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ/.
What does "godfather" mean?
As a noun, "godfather" means: A man present at the christening of a baby who promises to help raise the child in a Christian manner; a male godparent who sponsors the baptism of a child.
What words are commonly confused with "godfather"?
"godfather" is commonly confused with "godmother". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "godfather"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "godfather" is /ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ/. 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 "godfather"?
From Middle English godfader, from Old English godfæder (“godfather”), equivalent to god- + father. Cognate with Old Saxon godfadar (“godfather”), Middle Dutch godvader (“godfather”), Danish gudfader, gudfar (“godfather”), Swedish gudfader, gudfar... 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 “godfather”

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

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