rufous

/ˈɹuːfəs/

//ˈɹuːfəs// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"rufous" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rufous” is uncommon English (frequency #60,435 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,435
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - of a reddish colour

Corpus desk

Index EN-rufous · rufous · English

rufous · rank #60,435 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,435
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH RRR

Nearest frequency peer: RRR (-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 “rufous”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “rufous” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for rufous
PropertyValue
Headwordrufous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɹuːfəs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#60,435
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “rufous” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).rufousfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “RRR” (#60,434), “Runic” (#60,436), “roto” (#60,433). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rufous” is #60,435. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

rufous is uncommon English at frequency #60,435 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɹuːfəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "of a reddish colour".

No generated misspelling entries exist for rufous in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin rūfus (“red”). The correct English form is rufous, spelled R-U-F-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    of a reddish colour

Etymology

From Latin rūfus (“red”).

This word in other languages

rufo(Español)

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 "rufous"?
"rufous" is spelled R-U-F-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹuːfəs/.
What does "rufous" mean?
As an adjective, "rufous" means: of a reddish colour
How do you pronounce "rufous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rufous" is /ˈɹuːfəs/. 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 "rufous"?
From Latin rūfus (“red”). 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 "rufous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shelve#60,461Shimla#60,463Shirin#60,464ramada#60,405

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list