quaff
/kwɑf/verb, noun
quaff is spelled Q-U-A-F-F: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 117,098th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, quaff means “To drink or imbibe with vigour or relish; to drink copiously; to swallow in large draughts” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in quaff?
| Letters | 5: Q-U-A-F-F |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 15 million words; the 117,098th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is quaff?
Quaff appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 117,098th 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 quaff?
- UK /kwɒf/
- US /kwɑf/
- US /kwɔf/
Quaff has one syllable (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-quaff.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with quaff?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as quaff from its last stressed vowel (/ɑf/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of quaff
- quaffs present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- quaffing participle, present
- quaffed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does quaff mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To drink or imbibe with vigour or relish; to drink copiously; to swallow in large draughts.
I can't believe you quaffed four pints of beer and could still drive!
noun
- 1
The act of quaffing; a deep draught.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Quaff in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to drink or imbibe:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lamper, vider à longs traits |
| German | runterkippen |
| Portuguese | tragar |
| Spanish | pimplar, trasegar, drinkear |
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 quaff come from?
Uncertain. Suggestions include connection with Old Irish cuäch (“cup, goblet, bowl; cauldron, large vessel; bowl, cup”) (whence Scots quaich, queff). The noun is derived from the verb.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).