rafter
raft·er/ˈɹæftɚ/noun, verb
rafter is spelled R-A-F-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (raft·er). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rafter means “One of a series of sloped beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rafter is rafters.
How many letters and syllables are in rafter?
| Letters | 6: R-A-F-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: raft·er |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,368th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 rafter?
Rafter appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th 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 rafter?
- UK /ˈɹɑːftəː/
- UK [ˈɹʷɑːftəː]
- US /ˈɹæftɚ/
Rafter has 2 syllables, split raft·er in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-rafter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rafter?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as rafter from its last stressed vowel (/æftəɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: frater, farter.
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 rafter
- rafters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- raftering participle, present
- raftered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rafter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One of a series of sloped beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated loads.
- 2
A flock of turkeys.
- 3
A raftsman.
verb
- 1
To make (timber, etc.) into rafters.
- 2
To furnish (a building) with rafters.
- 3
UKTo plough so as to turn the grass side of each furrow upon an unploughed ridge; to ridge.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rafter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one of a series of sloped beams:
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 rafter come from?
From Old English ræfter, of Germanic origin, related to the origin of raft.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).