raffia

/ˈɹæfiə/

//ˈɹæfiə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“raffia” is uncommon English (frequency #86,674 among 21,470 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#86,674
frequency rank, English
21,470
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A fibrous material used for tying plants, originating from the leaves of raffia palm trees (genus Raphia).

Key facts for raffia
PropertyValue
Headwordraffia
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹæfiə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#86,674
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “raffia” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

raffia is uncommon English at frequency #86,674 among 21,470 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹæfiə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A fibrous material used for tying plants, originating from the leaves of raffia palm trees (genus Raphia).".

raffia doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Malagasy rafia or rofia. The correct English form is raffia, spelled R-A-F-F-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fibrous material used for tying plants, originating from the leaves of raffia palm trees (genus Raphia).

Etymology

From Malagasy rafia or rofia.

This word in other languages

rafia(Español)raphia(Français)Raphia(Deutsch)

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 "raffia"?
"raffia" is spelled R-A-F-F-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹæfiə/.
What does "raffia" mean?
As a noun, "raffia" means: A fibrous material used for tying plants, originating from the leaves of raffia palm trees (genus Raphia).
How do you pronounce "raffia"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "raffia" is /ˈɹæfiə/. 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 "raffia"?
From Malagasy rafia or rofia. 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.

Using “raffia”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-A-F-F-I-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɹæfiə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list