coiffer

\kwa.fe\

/\kwa.fe\/ verb

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

The verdict

“coiffer” has 8 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #24,908. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,908
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Couvrir la tête de quelqu’un, y mettre quelque chose.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

coiffer vs confier
71% similar
coiffer vs coincer
71% similar
coiffer vs coiffure
75% similar

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

Key facts for coiffer
PropertyValue
Headwordcoiffer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\kwa.fe\
Letters7
Frequency rank#24,908
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “coiffer” 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). coiffer lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around coiffer (IPA \kwa.fe\), averb. Corpus frequency is #24,908 among 257,141 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for coiffer, with forms such as "ccoiffer", "cioffer", and "cofifer". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "confier", "coincer", "coiffure", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is coiffer, spelled C-O-I-F-F-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Couvrir la tête de quelqu’un, y mettre quelque chose.
  2. 2
    Être sur la tête de quelqu’un.
  3. 3
    Recouvrir un sommet ou une extrémité.
  4. 4
    Recouvrir un sommet ou une extrémité.
  5. 5
    Recouvrir un sommet ou une extrémité.
  6. 6
    Mettre des cornes, cocufier.
  7. 7
    S’engouer, s’entêter de quelqu’un ou de quelque chose.
  8. 8
    Fournir des coiffures.
  9. 9
    Arranger les cheveux de telle ou telle façon, peigner.
  10. 10
    Seoir, en parlant des ornements de tête.
  11. 11
    Prendre un gibier par les oreilles, en parlant des chiens.
  12. 12
    Se faire frapper par le vent sur l’avant des voiles, lors d'une manœuvre ou d'un changement de vent subit, en parlant d'un navire.
  13. 13
    Être à la tête, diriger, commander.
  14. 14
    Être en tête. Battre un adversaire d'une courte tête au dernier moment.

This word in other languages

curl(English)peinar(Español)bedecken(Deutsch)frisar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccoiffer
  • cioffer
  • cofifer
  • coifefr
  • coifer
  • coifferr
  • coiffre
  • ociffer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccoiffer1cioffer2cofifer2coifefr2coifer1coifferr1coiffre2ociffer2
Edit distance from "coiffer"

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 "coiffer"?
"coiffer" is spelled C-O-I-F-F-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \kwa.fe\.
What does "coiffer" mean?
As a verb, "coiffer" means: Couvrir la tête de quelqu’un, y mettre quelque chose.
What words are commonly confused with "coiffer"?
"coiffer" is commonly confused with "confier", "coincer", "coiffure". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "coiffer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coiffer" is \kwa.fe\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "coiffer" come from?
"coiffer" 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 “coiffer”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-I-F-F-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kwa.fe\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “confier” - see the side-by-side comparison. coiffer vs confier
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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