waifu

\wɛj.fu\

/\wɛj.fu\/ noun

The verdict

“waifu” is uncommon French (frequency #90,304 among 27,995 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,304
frequency rank, French
27,995
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Personnage féminin fictif (généralement d’un manga, anime ou jeu vidéo) envers lequel quelqu’un est attiré, amoureux.

Key facts for waifu
PropertyValue
Headwordwaifu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\wɛj.fu\
Letters5
Frequency rank#90,304
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “waifu” 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). waifu 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

waifu is uncommon French at frequency #90,304 among 27,995 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \wɛj.fu\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for waifu in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is waifu, spelled W-A-I-F-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Personnage féminin fictif (généralement d’un manga, anime ou jeu vidéo) envers lequel quelqu’un est attiré, amoureux.
  2. 2
    Personnage féminin d’une œuvre de fiction japonaise (tels que animes, manga, jeux vidéos &c.).

Synonyms

waif

This word in other languages

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 "waifu"?
"waifu" is spelled W-A-I-F-U. The IPA pronunciation is \wɛj.fu\.
What does "waifu" mean?
As a noun, "waifu" means: Personnage féminin fictif (généralement d’un manga, anime ou jeu vidéo) envers lequel quelqu’un est attiré, amoureux.
How do you pronounce "waifu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "waifu" is \wɛj.fu\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "waifu" come from?
"waifu" 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 “waifu”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is W-A-I-F-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \wɛj.fu\ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list