MAF

/ɛm.eɪ.ɛf/

//ɛm.eɪ.ɛf// noun

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

"maf" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“MAF” is uncommon English (frequency #53,081 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,081
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Initialism of minor allele frequency: the frequency of the less-common allele at a SNP.

Corpus desk

Index EN-maf · MAF · English

MAF · rank #53,081 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,081
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH looper

Nearest frequency peer: looper (-4 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 “MAF”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for MAF
PropertyValue
HeadwordMAF
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɛm.eɪ.ɛf/
Letters3
Frequency rank#53,081
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “MAF” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).MAFfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “looper” (#53,077), “Longford” (#53,076), “mange” (#53,087). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “MAF” is #53,081. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

MAF is uncommon English at frequency #53,081 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɛm.eɪ.ɛf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

MAF doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is MAF, spelled M-A-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Initialism of minor allele frequency: the frequency of the less-common allele at a SNP.
  2. 2
    Initialism of mass airflow.

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 "MAF"?
"MAF" is spelled M-A-F. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛm.eɪ.ɛf/.
What does "MAF" mean?
As a noun, "MAF" means: Initialism of minor allele frequency: the frequency of the less-common allele at a SNP.
How do you pronounce "MAF"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "MAF" is /ɛm.eɪ.ɛf/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "MAF" come from?
"MAF" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "MAF", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

NFA#53,131NTR#53,142IFR#53,011Pde#53,158

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list