# godfather

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ/ · frequency rank #16,243

## Definitions
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. Someone who plays a key role in fostering the development of something.
3. A mafia leader.
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”).

## Easily confused with
- **godmother** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/godfather-vs-godmother)

## Common misspellings (14)
`gdofather`, `ggodfather`, `godafther`, `goddfather`, `godfahter`, `godfatehr`, `godfatherr`, `godfathher`, `godfathre`, `godfatther`, `godffather`, `godftaher`, `gofdather`, `ogdfather`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/godfather