goof

/ɡuːf/

//ɡuːf// noun

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

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

The verdict

“goof” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,294. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,294
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mistake or error.

Corpus desk

Index EN-goof · goof · English

goof · rank #29,294 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,294
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Gingrich

Nearest frequency peer: Gingrich (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “goof”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “goof” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

goof vs got
50% similar
goof vs GOP
0% similar
goof vs Guo
25% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for goof
PropertyValue
Headwordgoof
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡuːf/
Letters4
Frequency rank#29,294
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “goof”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).gooflands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Gingrich” (#29,293), “graced” (#29,295), “genomics” (#29,292). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “goof” is #29,294. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around goof (IPA /ɡuːf/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,294 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for goof, with forms such as "ggoof", "gof", and "gofo". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "got", "GOP", "Guo", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Perhaps from dialectal English goff (“foolish clown”), from earlier goffe, in which case further etymology is uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English goffen (“to speak in a frivolous manner”), possibly from Old English gaf, ġegaf (“base; wanton; lewd”, adjec… The correct English form is goof, spelled G-O-O-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mistake or error.
  2. 2
    A mistake or error.
  3. 3
    A foolish and/or silly person; a goofball.
  4. 4
    A rapist.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I made a goof in that last calculation.
  2. Your little brother is a total goof.

Etymology

Perhaps from dialectal English goff (“foolish clown”), from earlier goffe, in which case further etymology is uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English goffen (“to speak in a frivolous manner”), possibly from Old English gaf, ġegaf (“base; wanton; lewd”, adjective), ġegaf (“buffoonery; scurrility”, noun), gaffetung, golfettung (“buffoonery; mockery”). Compare English dialectal gauffin (“lightheaded; foolish; giddy”), Scots gaff, gawf (“to talk loudly; babble”), Scots gaffaw (“a loud laugh”). Alternatively, perhaps from Middle French goffe (“awkward; stupid”). Compare also Spanish gofo, Italian goffo.

This word in other languages

gaffe(Français)gafe(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggoof
  • gof
  • gofo
  • gooff
  • ogof

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of goof - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ggoof1gof1gofo2gooff1ogof2
Edit distance from "goof"

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 "goof"?
"goof" is spelled G-O-O-F. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡuːf/.
What does "goof" mean?
As a noun, "goof" means: A mistake or error.
What words are commonly confused with "goof"?
"goof" is commonly confused with "got", "GOP", "Guo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "goof"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "goof" is /ɡuːf/. 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 "goof"?
Perhaps from dialectal English goff (“foolish clown”), from earlier goffe, in which case further etymology is uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English goffen (“to speak in a frivolous manner”), possibly from Old English gaf, ġegaf (“base; wanton; le... 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 "goof", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Foxx#29,283hoon#29,310hoot#29,311Joni#29,329

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

hoses5 variantsjour5 variantsdojo5 variantsDara5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list