# rifle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɹaɪfəl/ · frequency rank #5,354

## Definitions
1. A firearm fired from the shoulder; improved range and accuracy is provided by a long, rifled barrel.
2. A rifleman.
3. An artillery piece with a rifled barrel.
4. A strip of wood covered with emery or a similar material, used for sharpening scythes.

## Etymology
Originally short for “rifled gun”, referring to the spiral grooves inside the barrel. From Middle English riflen (“to rob, plunder, search through”), from Old French rifler (“to lightly scratch, scrape off, plunder”), from Old High German riffilōn (compare German riffeln (“to score, make grooves in, ripple”), archaic Dutch rijfelen (“to scrape”), Old English rifelan, riflian (“to wrinkle”)), frequentative of Proto-Germanic *rīfaną (compare Old Norse rífa (“to tear, break”)). More at rive.

## Easily confused with
- **rule** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-rule)
- **rise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-rise)
- **ripe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-ripe)
- **rift** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-rift)
- **rite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-rite)
- **ROFL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-rofl)
- **Riley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-riley)
- **rinse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-rinse)
- **ruble** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-ruble)
- **rifles** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-rifles)
- **ripple** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-ripple)
- **Ripley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-ripley)
- **ruffle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rifle-vs-ruffle)
- **ride** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ride-vs-rifle)
- **rice** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rice-vs-rifle)
- **riff** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/riff-vs-rifle)
- **rife** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rife-vs-rifle)
- **Rafe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rafe-vs-rifle)
- **ridge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ridge-vs-rifle)
- **reflex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reflex-vs-rifle)

## Common misspellings (7)
`irfle`, `rfile`, `rifel`, `riffle`, `riflle`, `rilfe`, `rrifle`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rifle