knifed

/naɪft/

//naɪft// adj

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

"knifed" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“knifed” is uncommon English (frequency #56,852 among 1,236 “K” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,852
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having been cut or stabbed with a knife.

Corpus desk

Index EN-knifed · knifed · English

knifed · rank #56,852 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,852
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH knickerbocker

Nearest frequency peer: knickerbocker (-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 “knifed”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for knifed
PropertyValue
Headwordknifed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/naɪft/
Letters6
Frequency rank#56,852
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “knifed” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).knifedfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “knickerbocker” (#56,851), “koa” (#56,853), “kneed” (#56,850). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “knifed” is #56,852. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

knifed is uncommon English at frequency #56,852 among 1,236 “K” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /naɪft/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

knifed doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From knife + -ed. The correct English form is knifed, spelled K-N-I-F-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having been cut or stabbed with a knife.
  2. 2
    Wearing or carrying (a specified type of) knife (utensil or tool).
  3. 3
    Having a knife (blade-like part) of the specified type.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. These reports show no difference, or, at all events, no significant difference, between the lambs that were seared and those which were knifed, at any of the weighings. Any difference is in favour of the knifed lambs, but it would be a mistake to attach much importance to this result particularly since it was obtained in one season only.
  2. The police were on the pavement outside; the knifed man lay holding his side with blood through his fingers spreading up his cheap shirt like litmus paper turning red.

Etymology

From knife + -ed.

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 "knifed"?
"knifed" is spelled K-N-I-F-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /naɪft/.
What does "knifed" mean?
As an adjective, "knifed" means: Having been cut or stabbed with a knife.
How do you pronounce "knifed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "knifed" is /naɪft/. 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 "knifed"?
From knife + -ed. 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 "knifed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

kitted#56,848lamina#56,858Lanark#56,859Kikuyu#56,844

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list