raffish
/ˈɹæfɪʃ/
"raffish" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“raffish” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Characterized by careless unconventionality; rakish.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | raffish |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈɹæfɪʃ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “raffish” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for raffish is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹæfɪʃ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for raffish in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From late 18th century raff (“persons among the lowest class in society”) + -ish, still retained in contemporary English with riffraff. From Old French raffer (“to wear away”), of Germanic origin. Compare German raffen. Compare rip (“to tear”), rap (“to sna… The correct English form is raffish, spelled R-A-F-F-I-S-H.
Definition
- 1Characterized by careless unconventionality; rakish.
- 2Low-class; disreputable; vulgar.
Etymology
From late 18th century raff (“persons among the lowest class in society”) + -ish, still retained in contemporary English with riffraff. From Old French raffer (“to wear away”), of Germanic origin. Compare German raffen. Compare rip (“to tear”), rap (“to snatch”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “raffish”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-A-F-F-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹæfɪʃ/ (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
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.