reefer

Name: reefer, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈɹiːfɚ/

//ˈɹiːfɚ// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“reefer” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,875. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,875
frequency rank, English: 3,094
“R” headwords: 7
tracked misspellings: 12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who reefs sails, especially a midshipman.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reefer · reefer · English

reefer · rank #43,875 · 7 variants · 12 confusables

FREQ-MID #43,875
LEN-LONG 6 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
VAR-MID 7 variants
BOOK-MID 3,094
PHOTO-FINISH redline

Nearest frequency peer: redline (-2 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.

Recep

56,129
redline

56,128
reefer

56,126
refrigerant

56,124
remarry

56,123
resiliency

56,122

What this shows “reefer” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

reefer vs refer

83% similar

reefer vs Reese

50% similar

reefer vs reeve

67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for reefer
Property	Value
Headword	reefer
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈɹiːfɚ/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#43,875
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	12
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reefer”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).reeferlands here:

#43,875

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “redline” (#43,873), “refrigerant” (#43,877), “Recep” (#43,872). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reefer” is #43,875. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around reefer (IPA /ˈɹiːfɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,875 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for reefer, with forms such as "erefer", "reeefr", and "reeferr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "refer", "Reese", "reeve", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From reef + -er. The correct English form is reefer, spelled R-E-E-F-E-R.

Definition

1
Someone who reefs sails, especially a midshipman.
2
A reefer jacket; a close-fitting jacket or short coat of thick cloth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how reefer appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

Her reefer cap was all on one side and on her cheek there was the print of an anchor button she had pressed on while sleeping.
The mess table, at which the reefers and mates made merry, was fixed in the middle of the berth.

Etymology

From reef + -er.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

erefer
reeefr
reeferr
reeffer
reefre
refeer
rreefer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reefer - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "reefer"

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 "reefer"?

"reefer" is spelled R-E-E-F-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹiːfɚ/.

What does "reefer" mean?

As a noun, "reefer" means: Someone who reefs sails, especially a midshipman.

What words are commonly confused with "reefer"?

"reefer" is commonly confused with "refer", "Reese", "reeve". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "reefer"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reefer" is /ˈɹiːfɚ/. 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 "reefer"?

From reef + -er. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "reefer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Putney#43,867 puffin#43,862 Roshan#43,893 Scheer#43,903

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Rhone7 variants Pumas7 variants ripon7 variants Rizal7 variants