go off

Name: go off, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“go off” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English: 6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To explode.

Key facts for go off
Property	Value
Headword	go off
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
Letters	6
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “go off” sits in English frequency

go off falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for go off is 6 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 18 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

go off doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct English form is go off, spelled G-O- -O-F-F.

Definition

1
To explode.
2
To fire, especially accidentally.
3
To explode metaphorically; to become very angry or overexcited.
4
To begin clanging or making noise.
5
To stop operating; to switch off.
6
To depart; to leave.
7
To putrefy or become inedible, or to become unusable in any way.
8
To like gradually less.
9
To cure; to set.
10
To pass off; to take place; to be accomplished; to happen.
11
To ejaculate; to orgasm.
12
To perform extremely well; to be impressive or attractive; often used to express encouragement.
13
To follow or extrapolate from something; to judge by.
14
To fall unconscious; to go to sleep; to die.
15
To get married.
16
To be spent, disbursed or used up.
17
To rant; to talk at length negatively; to insult or criticize.
18
To fight or attack.

This word in other languages

explotar(Español)exploser(Français)explodieren(Deutsch)explodir(Português)

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "go off"?

"go off" is spelled G-O- -O-F-F.

What does "go off" mean?

As a verb, "go off" means: To explode.

What language does "go off" come from?

"go off" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.

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.

Using “go off”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is G-O- -O-F-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.