doff

/dɒf/

//dɒf// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"doff" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“doff” is uncommon English (frequency #83,192 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,192
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To remove or take off (something worn on the body such as armour or clothing, or something carried).

Corpus desk

Index EN-doff · doff · English

doff · rank #83,192 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #83,192
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dither

Nearest frequency peer: dither (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “doff”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “doff” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for doff
PropertyValue
Headworddoff
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɒf/
Letters4
Frequency rank#83,192
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “doff” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).dofffalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “dither” (#83,191), “dogmatism” (#83,193), “discourteous” (#83,190). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “doff” is #83,192. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

doff is uncommon English at frequency #83,192 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /dɒf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for doff in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *h₂epó The verb is derived from Late Middle English doffen (“to take off (clothing); to remove (headwear) as a sign of respect; to remove (grease) by skimming”), a contraction of Middle English do off, don off, from Old English dōn of, from dōn (“… The correct English form is doff, spelled D-O-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remove or take off (something worn on the body such as armour or clothing, or something carried).
  2. 2
    To remove or take off (something worn on the body such as armour or clothing, or something carried).
  3. 3
    To undress (oneself); to divest, to strip.
  4. 4
    To cast aside or get rid of (something), to throw off.
  5. 5
    To remove (a bobbin or spindle which is full of spun yarn) from a spinning frame for replacement with an empty one.
  6. 6
    To remove (small pieces of cotton or other plant fibre, etc.) from a carding cylinder.
  7. 7
    To put off or turn away (someone) with an excuse, etc.
  8. 8
    To remove or tip a hat or other headwear in greeting or salutation, or as a mark of respect.
  9. 9
    Followed by with: to remove or take off something worn on the body, or something carried.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how doff appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. […] Calidore perceiuing, thought it beſt / To chaunge the manner of his loftie looke; / And doffing his bright armes, himſelfe addreſt / In ſhepheards vveed, and in his hand he tooke, / In ſtead of ſteelehead ſpeare, a ſhepheards hooke, […]
  2. Thou vveare a Lyons hide, doff it for ſhame, / And hang a Calues skin on thoſe recreant limbes.

Etymology

PIE word *h₂epó The verb is derived from Late Middle English doffen (“to take off (clothing); to remove (headwear) as a sign of respect; to remove (grease) by skimming”), a contraction of Middle English do off, don off, from Old English dōn of, from dōn (“to do; to put; to take off, remove”) + of (“from; off”). Dōn is derived from Proto-West Germanic *dōn (“to do; to place, put”), from Proto-Germanic *dōną (“to do; to make; to place, put”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to do; to place, put”). By surface analysis, do + off. Compare don (by surface analysis, do + on), dout (do + out), dup (do + up). The noun is derived from the verb.

This word in other languages

ôter(Français)tirar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "doff"?
"doff" is spelled D-O-F-F. The IPA pronunciation is /dɒf/.
What does "doff" mean?
As a verb, "doff" means: To remove or take off (something worn on the body such as armour or clothing, or something carried).
How do you pronounce "doff"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "doff" is /dɒf/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "doff"?
PIE word *h₂epó The verb is derived from Late Middle English doffen (“to take off (clothing); to remove (headwear) as a sign of respect; to remove (grease) by skimming”), a contraction of Middle English do off, don off, from Old English dōn of, f... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "doff", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dyne#83,207eave#83,209coit#83,125grep#83,303

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list