rebuff
/ɹɪˈbʌf/
"rebuff" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“rebuff” is uncommon English (frequency #63,931 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #63,931
- frequency rank, English
- 3,094
- “R” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sudden resistance or refusal.
Corpus desk
Index EN-rebuff · rebuff · English
rebuff · rank #63,931 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #63,931
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,094
- PHOTO-FINISH reaps
Nearest frequency peer: reaps (-1 rank slots)
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
Long-tail ranks near “rebuff”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- rann
rann
36,078 corpus weight
- rashly
rashly
36,074 corpus weight
- Ravana
Ravana
36,073 corpus weight
- reaps
reaps
36,071 corpus weight
- rebuff
rebuff
36,070 corpus weight
- recursively
recursively
36,066 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “rebuff” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | rebuff |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈbʌf/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #63,931 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “rebuff” in English
Rare enough to double-check
rebuff is uncommon English at frequency #63,931 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɹɪˈbʌf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for rebuff, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From obsolete French rebuffer, from Middle French rebuffer (compare French rebiffer (“to rise up, revolt”)), from Italian ribuffare. The correct English form is rebuff, spelled R-E-B-U-F-F.
Definition
- 1A sudden resistance or refusal.
- 2Repercussion, or beating back.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how rebuff appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He was surprised by her quick rebuff to his proposal.
And it is symptomatic of the many paradoxes of Lederer's life that of all the people in the room, Brotherhood is the one whom he would most wish to serve, if ever he had the opportunity, even though — or perhaps because — his occasional efforts to ingratiate himself with his adopted hero have met with iron rebuff.
Etymology
From obsolete French rebuffer, from Middle French rebuffer (compare French rebiffer (“to rise up, revolt”)), from Italian ribuffare.
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); 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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "rebuff", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).