backoff
noun
backoff is spelled B-A-C-K-O-F-F: 7 letters. It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 133,440th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, backoff means “The situation where an algorithm or process refrains from taking an action it would otherwise have taken” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of backoff is backoffs.
How many letters and syllables are in backoff?
| Letters | 7: B-A-C-K-O-F-F |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 133,440th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is backoff?
Backoff appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 133,440th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Forms of backoff
- backoffs plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does backoff mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The situation where an algorithm or process refrains from taking an action it would otherwise have taken.
a backoff strategy to avoid collisions
- 2
The situation where an incoming wave passes from shallower water to a deeper area, making the wave less steep and potentially unsurfable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does backoff come from?
Deverbal from back off.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).