gafa

[ˈgafa]

/[ˈgafa]/ noun

The verdict

“gafa” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #63,837 among 17,549 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,837
frequency rank, Spanish
17,549
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Instrumento que sirve para armar la ballesta, que tiene una manija, y del remate sale una asa con un gancho, que prende en la cuerda. Junto a la misma manija salen dos medias lunas de acero, prolon...

Key facts for gafa
PropertyValue
Headwordgafa
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈgafa]
Letters4
Frequency rank#63,837
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gafa” sits in Spanish frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gafa is uncommon Spanish at frequency #63,837 among 17,549 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈgafa]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for gafa, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Spanish form is gafa, spelled G-A-F-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Instrumento que sirve para armar la ballesta, que tiene una manija, y del remate sale una asa con un gancho, que prende en la cuerda. Junto a la misma manija salen dos medias lunas de acero, prolongadas en las puntas, y movibles en su nacimiento, las cuales abrazan la caja de la ballesta. Haciendo fuerza en dos pitones de hierro, que tiene a los lados de dicha caja, se va apretando con la manija hacia la culata, y va cogiendo tanta fuerza que la cuerda que está presa al gancho contrapuesto viene fácilmente a montarse en la nuez, y a dejar armada la ballesta.
  2. 2
    Variante poco usada de gafas.
  3. 3
    Cada uno de los enganches con que aseguran a las orejas los anteojos.
  4. 4
    Objeto metálico en forma de U con sus extremos afilados. Se usa para unir dos piezas contiguas, como tablas o planchas y también papeles.
  5. 5
    Objeto en forma de tenaza donde se cuelgan objetos pesados.

Synonyms

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gafa"?
"gafa" is spelled G-A-F-A. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈgafa].
What does "gafa" mean?
As a noun, "gafa" means: Instrumento que sirve para armar la ballesta, que tiene una manija, y del remate sale una asa con un gancho, que prende en la cuerda. Junto a la misma manija salen dos medias lunas de acero, prolon...
How do you pronounce "gafa"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gafa" is [ˈgafa]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gafa" come from?
"gafa" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “gafa”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is G-A-F-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈgafa] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Other uncommon Spanish words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list