Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

daft

/dæft/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.44 in modern English

Syllables
daft
IPA
/dæft/
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Foolish, silly, stupid.

Australian usage; New Zealand usage; British usage; Informal

adj

Crazy, insane, mad.

Australian usage; New Zealand usage; British usage; Informal

adj

Gentle, meek, mild.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English dafte, defte (“gentle; having good manners; humble, modest; awkward; dull; boorish”), from Old English dæfte (“accommodating; gentle, meek, mild”), from Proto-West Germanic *daftī (“fitting, suitable”). Related to Old English dafnian, dafenian (“to be fitting, appropriate, or becoming”), Russian до́брый (dóbryj, “good”). Doublet of deft. Compare silly which originally meant “blessed; good, innocent; pitiful; weak”, but now means “laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance; mentally simple, foolish”. Unrelated to, though perhaps influenced by, daff (“fool (n.); to be foolish (v.)”) (past form daffed).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: dafte, dæfte, *daftī

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /dæft/
  • British English: /dɑːft/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce daft?
The recorded pronunciation is /dæft/.
What does daft mean?
Foolish, silly, stupid.
Where does daft come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce daft

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