gafe

[ˈgafe]

/[ˈgafe]/ adj

The verdict

“gafe” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #73,674 among 1,728 “G” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,674
frequency rank, Spanish
1,728
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Persona que atrae o provoca mala suerte a los que le rodean.

Corpus desk

Index ES-gafe · gafe · Spanish

gafe · rank #73,674 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,674
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,728
  • PHOTO-FINISH futbolísticos

Nearest frequency peer: futbolísticos (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rangos de cola larga cerca de “gafe”

Banda escasa: las barras invierten el rango para que lo raro se lea más corto

corpus weight

What this shows Vista de cola larga: dónde “gafe” se sitúa frente a rangos españoles igualmente raros.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gafe
PropertyValue
Headwordgafe
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈgafe]
Letters4
Frequency rank#73,674
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “gafe” en español

La frecuencia va del puñado de palabras que usamos sin parar (izquierda) a la cola larga que apenas aparece (derecha).gafecae en esta cola de rareza:

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

Los ticks avanzan en logaritmo; cada uno es del orden de diez veces más raro. Vecinos raros de la misma franja: “futbolísticos” (#73,673), “galopando” (#73,675), “ganábamos” (#73,676). Entre 1,728 lemas con “G”, “gafe” va en #73,674. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gafe is uncommon Spanish at frequency #73,674 among 1,728 “G” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˈgafe]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

gafe doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Spanish form is gafe, spelled G-A-F-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Persona que atrae o provoca mala suerte a los que le rodean.
  2. 2
    Persona que arruina alguna diversión.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Se llegó a hacer película del propio Fúlmine, en su país natal, un gafe que iba causando estragos allí por donde fuera

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 "gafe"?
"gafe" is spelled G-A-F-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈgafe].
What does "gafe" mean?
As an adjective, "gafe" means: Persona que atrae o provoca mala suerte a los que le rodean.
How do you pronounce "gafe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gafe" is [ˈgafe]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gafe" come from?
"gafe" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 Spanish words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "gafe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list