caftan

\kaf.tɑ̃\

/\kaf.tɑ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“caftan” is uncommon French (frequency #72,149 among 257,141 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,149
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tunique longue.

Key facts for caftan
PropertyValue
Headwordcaftan
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kaf.tɑ̃\
Letters6
Frequency rank#72,149
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “caftan” sits in French 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). caftan 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

caftan is uncommon French at frequency #72,149 among 257,141 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \kaf.tɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for caftan in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is caftan, spelled C-A-F-T-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tunique longue.
  2. 2
    Robe de distinction en usage autrefois chez les Turcs.
  3. 3
    Robe d’intérieur, et d’apparat, parfois richement décorée, portée par les femmes en Orient et au Maghreb.
  4. 4
    Robe fourrée portée en Europe centrale et en Orient par les Juifs.
  5. 5
    Manteau en usage en Europe centrale et orientale.

Synonyms

chylaat

This word in other languages

caftan(English)caftán(Español)Kaftan(Deutsch)

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "caftan"?
"caftan" is spelled C-A-F-T-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is \kaf.tɑ̃\.
What does "caftan" mean?
As a noun, "caftan" means: Tunique longue.
How do you pronounce "caftan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caftan" is \kaf.tɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "caftan" come from?
"caftan" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “caftan”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-A-F-T-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kaf.tɑ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French 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