kafir

/ˈkæfə/

//ˈkæfə// noun

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

The verdict

“kafir” is uncommon English (frequency #68,353 among 1,236 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,353
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A disbeliever, a denier: someone who rejects or disbelieves in Allah or the tenets of Islam; or more broadly any non-Muslim.

Corpus desk

Index EN-kafir · kafir · English

kafir · rank #68,353 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,353
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH jumbotron

Nearest frequency peer: jumbotron (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “kafir”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “kafir” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for kafir
PropertyValue
Headwordkafir
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæfə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#68,353
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “kafir” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).kafirfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “jumbotron” (#68,352), “Kanazawa” (#68,354), “Karnak” (#68,355). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “kafir” is #68,353. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

kafir is uncommon English at frequency #68,353 among 1,236 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkæfə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for kafir, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Arabic كَافِر (kāfir, “denier, unbeliever”). Doublet of kaffir. The correct English form is kafir, spelled K-A-F-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A disbeliever, a denier: someone who rejects or disbelieves in Allah or the tenets of Islam; or more broadly any non-Muslim.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of kafir corn.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how kafir appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. In his sermon, Amir Hamza espoused extremist and segregationist views. He inferred that non-Muslims are “kafir” (infidels).
  2. Kafir makes better forage than the duras.

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic كَافِر (kāfir, “denier, unbeliever”). Doublet of kaffir.

This word in other languages

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 "kafir"?
"kafir" is spelled K-A-F-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæfə/.
What does "kafir" mean?
As a noun, "kafir" means: A disbeliever, a denier: someone who rejects or disbelieves in Allah or the tenets of Islam; or more broadly any non-Muslim.
How do you pronounce "kafir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kafir" is /ˈkæfə/. 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 "kafir"?
Borrowed from Arabic كَافِر (kāfir, “denier, unbeliever”). Doublet of kaffir. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "kafir", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list