break off
"break-off" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“break off” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To remove a piece from a whole by breaking or snapping.
Corpus desk
Index EN-break-off · break off · English
break off · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | break off |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “break off” in English
Rare enough to double-check
break off is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
break off has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English breke of (“break off, terminate”), a dissimilated form of earlier Middle English ofbreken. By surface analysis, break + off. The correct English form is break off, spelled B-R-E-A-K- -O-F-F.
Definition
- 1To remove a piece from a whole by breaking or snapping.
- 2To become detached by breaking or snapping.
- 3To discontinue abruptly.
- 4To end abruptly, either temporarily or permanently.
- 5To play the first shot in a frame of snooker, billiards or pool.
- 6To give (someone) (something); to allow (someone) to take (something); to grant (someone) a share or portion of (something).
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how break off appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
She unwrapped the slab of chocolate and broke off a piece.
The bees came and found no one but the Woodman to sting, so they flew at him and broke off all their stings against the tin, without hurting the Woodman at all.
Etymology
From Middle English breke of (“break off, terminate”), a dissimilated form of earlier Middle English ofbreken. By surface analysis, break + off.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.