Khafre is the pharaoh most commonly associated with the Great Sphinx.
The Sphinx stands beside the causeway and valley temple of Khafre’s pyramid complex, and its facial features are traditionally interpreted as those of Khafre. This proximity, along with the layout of the surrounding monuments, is the main reason the attribution became widely accepted.
The evidence is strong but not conclusive. The Sphinx has no inscription from its construction that explicitly names its creator, and scholars have proposed that it could represent Khufu, Khafre’s father, or in some theories another Fourth Dynasty ruler. The damaged Dream Stele, erected much later by Thutmose IV, also links the monument with Khafre’s complex, though its relevant text is incomplete.
Another common mistake is to treat “associated with” as meaning definitively proven. Khafre is the standard quiz answer and the conventional attribution, but the identity of the Sphinx’s face and the exact circumstances of its construction remain subjects of Egyptological debate.