Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

off-

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.93 in modern English

Syllables
of-f-
IPA
9
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
3
Syllables
2
Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

Away from; off.

prefix

not quite; almost

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English of-, from Old English of-, æf- (“off, away, down, un-”), from Proto-Germanic *aba- (“off, away”), combining form of *ab(a), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó (“off, away”). Cognate with Dutch af- (“off, away, down”), German ab- (“off, from, down”), Latin ab- (“from, of”), Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-, “away from, without”). Doublet of apo- and ab-. Equivalent to off. Compare of.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Phrases

off-limb

Synonyms

out- ab- apo- de- away off

Questions

What does off- mean?
Away from; off.
Where does off- come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce off-

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