scaffold
/ˈskæf.əld/
"scaffold" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“scaffold” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,007 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #28,007
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A structure made of scaffolding for workers to stand on while working on a building.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | scaffold |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈskæf.əld/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #28,007 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “scaffold” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for scaffold is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈskæf.əld/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,007 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for scaffold, with forms such as "csaffold", "sacffold", and "scafflod". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Stafford", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English scaffold, scaffalde, from Anglo-Norman schaffaut, eschaffaut, eschafal, eschaiphal, escadafaut (“platform to see a tournament”) (Modern French échafaud), from Old French es- (indicating movement away or separation) (from Latin ex- (“out,… The correct English form is scaffold, spelled S-C-A-F-F-O-L-D.
Definition
- 1A structure made of scaffolding for workers to stand on while working on a building.
- 2An elevated platform on which a criminal is executed.
- 3An elevated platform on which dead bodies are ritually disposed of, as by some Native American tribes.
- 4An accumulation of adherent, partly fused material forming a shelf or dome-shaped obstruction above the tuyeres in a blast furnace.
- 5A structure that provides support for some other material.
- 6A device in scaffolding, i.e. the provision a framework or support for achieving an intended outcome of internalizing learnings by way of collaboration and later gradual withdrawal of support.
Etymology
From Middle English scaffold, scaffalde, from Anglo-Norman schaffaut, eschaffaut, eschafal, eschaiphal, escadafaut (“platform to see a tournament”) (Modern French échafaud), from Old French es- (indicating movement away or separation) (from Latin ex- (“out, away”)) + chafaud, chafaut, chafault, caafau, caafaus, cadefaut (“scaffold for executing a criminal”), from Vulgar Latin *catafalcum (“viewing stage”), possibly from Ancient Greek κατα- (kata-, “back; against”) + Latin -falicum (from fala, phala (“wooden gallery or tower; siege tower”)).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: csaffold,sacffold,scafflod,scaffodl,scaffoldd,scaffolld,scafofld,scafold,sccaffold,scfafold,sscaffold
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of scaffold - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "scaffold"?
What does "scaffold" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "scaffold"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “scaffold”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-C-A-F-F-O-L-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈskæf.əld/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Stafford” - see the side-by-side comparison. scaffold vs Stafford
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.