rafale

\ʁa.fal\

/\ʁa.fal\/ noun

The verdict

“rafale” is an uncommon Portuguese word, ranked #59,362 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#59,362
frequency rank, Portuguese
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - rajada de vento, chuva ou neve repentina

Key facts for rafale
PropertyValue
Headwordrafale
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁa.fal\
Letters6
Frequency rank#59,362
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rafale” sits in Portuguese 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). rafale lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for rafale is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁa.fal\. Corpus data places it at rank #59,362 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "rajada de vento, chuva ou neve repentina".

Zero misspellings are on record for rafale in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Portuguese form is rafale, spelled R-A-F-A-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    rajada de vento, chuva ou neve repentina

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "rafale"?
"rafale" is spelled R-A-F-A-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁa.fal\.
What does "rafale" mean?
As a noun, "rafale" means: rajada de vento, chuva ou neve repentina
How do you pronounce "rafale"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rafale" is \ʁa.fal\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "rafale" come from?
"rafale" is a Portuguese 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 “rafale”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is R-A-F-A-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʁa.fal\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words
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