pilfer
/ˈpɪl.fɚ/verb
pilfer is spelled P-I-L-F-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, pilfer means “To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practise petty theft” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pilfer?
| Letters | 6: P-I-L-F-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 88,353rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is pilfer?
Pilfer appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pilfer?
- UK /ˈpɪl.fə/
- US /ˈpɪl.fɚ/
Pilfer has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pilfer.ogg, En-au-pilfer.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pilfer
- pilfers present, singular, he/she/it
- pilfering participle, present
- pilfered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pilfer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practise petty theft.
pilfer goods
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pilfer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to steal in small quantities:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | piquer, chaparder |
| German | klauen, stehlen, stibitzen, mopsen, abziehen, mausen |
| Portuguese | surripiar, surrupiar |
| Spanish | sisar, ratear |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pilfer come from?
From earlier pilfre, from Middle English pilfre (“booty”), from Old French pelfre (“plunder, booty, spoils”), of unknown origin. Compare pelf.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).