Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

puff

/pʌf/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.55 in modern English

Syllables
puff
IPA
/pʌf/
12
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A sharp exhalation of a small amount of breath through the mouth.

Countable

noun

The ability to breathe easily while exerting oneself.

Slang; Uncountable

noun

A small quantity of gas or smoke in the air.

Countable

noun

A sudden but small gust of wind, smoke, etc.

Countable

noun

An act of inhaling smoke from a cigarette, cigar or pipe.

Countable; Informal

noun

The drug cannabis.

Slang; Uncountable

noun

A flamboyant or alluring statement of praise.

Countable

noun

A portion of fabric gathered up so as to be left full in the middle.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English puff, puf, from Old English pyf (“a blast of wind, puff”), from Proto-West Germanic *puf(f)- (“to blow, puff”), of imitative origin. Cognate with Dutch puf (“puff, wind, fart”), Middle Low German puf, pof (“puff”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: puff, pyf, *puf(f)-, puffen, pyffan

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /pʌf/
  • British English: /pʌf/

Usage

Inflected Forms

puffs (plural) puffs (present, singular) puffing (participle, present) puffed (participle, past) puffed (past)

Derived Forms

airpuff fluff Hufflepuff Jigglypuff piffle puffback puffbird puffcorn puffer puffery puffhead puffin

Phrases

air puff test cheese puff cheesy puff crab puff cream puff curry puff finger puff huff and puff

Synonyms

wind drag bhang benj boo broccoli bud buddha cannabis cheeba choof daccha

Rhymes With

enough stuff tough rough buff bluff cuff duff fluff snuff huff slough

Questions

How do you pronounce puff?
The recorded pronunciation is /pʌf/.
What does puff mean?
A sharp exhalation of a small amount of breath through the mouth.
Where does puff come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce puff

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