transfer

/tɹɑːnsˈfɜː/

//tɹɑːnsˈfɜː// verb

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

"transfer" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“transfer” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,971. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,971
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To move or pass from one place, person or thing to another.

Corpus desk

Index EN-transfer · transfer · English

transfer · rank #1,971 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,971
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH toward

Nearest frequency peer: toward (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “transfer”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

transfer vs transform
78% similar

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

Key facts for transfer
PropertyValue
Headwordtransfer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tɹɑːnsˈfɜː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,971
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “transfer”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).transferlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “toward” (#1,970), “upper” (#1,972), “teaching” (#1,969). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “transfer” is #1,971. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around transfer (IPA /tɹɑːnsˈfɜː/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,971 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for transfer, with forms such as "rtansfer", "tarnsfer", and "tranfser". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "transform", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin trānsferō (“I bear across”). Distant doublet of translate. See also collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prelate and prefer among others. The correct English form is transfer, spelled T-R-A-N-S-F-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To move or pass from one place, person or thing to another.
  2. 2
    To convey the impression of (something) from one surface to another.
  3. 3
    To exit one mass transit vehicle and board another (typically one belonging to a different line or mode of transportation) to continue a journey.
  4. 4
    To be or become transferred.
  5. 5
    To arrange for something to belong to or be officially controlled by somebody else.
  6. 6
    To move from a wheelchair to another seating surface, or to a wheelchair from another seating surface.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to transfer the laws of one country to another; to transfer suspicion
  2. to transfer drawings or engravings to a lithographic stone

Etymology

From Latin trānsferō (“I bear across”). Distant doublet of translate. See also collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prelate and prefer among others.

Synonyms

carry overmoveonpasscopytransposeabalienatealienalienateassignchange handsconsignconveygranttransfer

This word in other languages

transferir(Español)transférer(Français)übertragen(Deutsch)transferir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtansfer
  • tarnsfer
  • tranfser
  • trannsfer
  • transefr
  • transferr
  • transffer
  • transfre
  • transsfer
  • trasnfer
  • trnasfer
  • trransfer
  • ttransfer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of transfer - 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.

rtansfer2tarnsfer2tranfser2trannsfer1transefr2transferr1transffer1transfre2
Edit distance from "transfer"

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 "transfer"?
"transfer" is spelled T-R-A-N-S-F-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹɑːnsˈfɜː/.
What does "transfer" mean?
As a verb, "transfer" means: To move or pass from one place, person or thing to another.
What words are commonly confused with "transfer"?
"transfer" is commonly confused with "transform". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "transfer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "transfer" is /tɹɑːnsˈfɜː/. 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 "transfer"?
From Latin trānsferō (“I bear across”). Distant doublet of translate. See also collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prelate and prefer among others. 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 "transfer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

teaching#1,969regional#1,964accident#1,979advanced#1,980

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

bringing13 variantsdrinking13 variantsdecisions13 variantsafternoon13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list