Oxfam

/ˈɒksfæm/

//ˈɒksfæm// name

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

The verdict

“Oxfam” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,011. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,011
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
7
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A United Kingdom-based charity focused on alleviating global poverty and operating a chain of charity shops.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oxfam · Oxfam · English

Oxfam · rank #39,011 · 7 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,011
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Padua

Nearest frequency peer: Padua (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Oxfam”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Oxfam” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Oxfam
PropertyValue
HeadwordOxfam
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈɒksfæm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#39,011
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Oxfam”

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).Oxfamlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Padua” (#39,012), “overloading” (#39,009), “outlander” (#39,007). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “Oxfam” is #39,011. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Oxfam (IPA /ˈɒksfæm/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #39,011 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A United Kingdom-based charity focused on alleviating global poverty and operating a chain of charity shops.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Oxfam, with forms such as "ofxam", "oxafm", and "oxfamm". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Syllabic abbreviation of Oxford Committee for Famine Relief: originally the telegraphic address of the organisation. The correct English form is Oxfam, spelled O-X-F-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A United Kingdom-based charity focused on alleviating global poverty and operating a chain of charity shops.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [E]xquisitely torn jeans adorned the 'Hard Times' cover of The Face, while the long macs and second-hand suits of the 'Oxfam brigade', with their doomy Joy Division rock and George Orwell haircuts, made a suitable fanfare for the advent of the dreaded 1984. In one sense Oxfam chic was a lament for the passing of the old working-class certainties […]
  2. In the town center of the village I live in, there is an Oxfam shop, a Salvation Army shop, a Heart Disease UK shop, and a Cancer Research shop. They sell the usual thrift store stuff of used clothes and books.

Etymology

Syllabic abbreviation of Oxford Committee for Famine Relief: originally the telegraphic address of the organisation.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ofxam
  • oxafm
  • oxfamm
  • oxffam
  • oxfma
  • oxxfam
  • xofam

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ofxam2oxafm2oxfamm1oxffam1oxfma2oxxfam1xofam2
Edit distance from "Oxfam"

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 "Oxfam"?
"Oxfam" is spelled O-X-F-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒksfæm/.
What does "Oxfam" mean?
As a proper noun, "Oxfam" means: A United Kingdom-based charity focused on alleviating global poverty and operating a chain of charity shops.
What are common misspellings of "Oxfam"?
Common misspellings include "ofxam", "oxafm", "oxfamm", "oxffam", "oxfma". The correct spelling is "Oxfam".
How do you pronounce "Oxfam"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Oxfam" is /ˈɒksfæm/. 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 "Oxfam"?
Syllabic abbreviation of Oxford Committee for Famine Relief: originally the telegraphic address of the organisation. 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 "Oxfam", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list