Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

riff

/ɹɪf/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.40 in modern English

Syllables: riff
IPA: /ɹɪf/

10

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A repeated melody line in a song, usually instrumental but sometimes vocal.

noun

A clever or witty remark.

noun

A variation on something.

noun

verb

To improvise in the performance or practice of an art, especially by expanding on or making novel use of traditional themes.

verb

verb

To tell jokes over a movie or similar performance.

noun

The belly; the bowels.

Archaic

Example Sentences

"Listen to one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time!"
"Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child has been named the greatest guitar riff of all time, 41 years after it was recorded, in a poll by website Music Radar."
"Pope Francis delivers off-the-cuff riff on family life"
"Both the Orbit and the Pinnacle are riffs on an idea sketched out in 1917 by Vladimir Tatlin for a monument to international communism."
"Grok’s companions are a riff on the idea of AI assistants or agents, which some people use for friendship or romance in place of or in addition to human partners."
"The creative team has experience with spoofing: Both [Paul] Rudd and [Amy] Poehler had parts in [David] Wain’s Wet Hot American Summer, a hysterically irreverent riff on ’80s summer-camp comedies."

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps a clipping of riffle, or an alteration of refrain.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *krep-, *rif, hrif, *hrif, *hrefaz

Usage

Archaic

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Music.

Inflected Forms

riffs (plural) riffs (present, singular) riffing (participle, present) riffed (participle, past) riffed (past)

Derived Forms

riffage riffwise riffy midriff

Phrases

riff-raff

Frequently Paired Words

riff-raff riffraff

Synonyms

MST riffian flick flip thumb riffle leaf

Homonyms

Rif

Rhymes With

if cliff stiff sniff whiff diff schiff tiff biff dif griff skiff

Questions

How do you pronounce riff?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɹɪf/.
What does riff mean?: A repeated melody line in a song, usually instrumental but sometimes vocal.
Where does riff come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce riff

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “riff”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɹɪf/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “riff”.
Repeat and practice — Say “riff” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.