goof off
/ˌɡuːf ˈɒf/
"goof-off" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“goof 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
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To dawdle, lollygag; to waste time aimlessly or engage in idle activity or inactivity.
Corpus desk
Index EN-goof-off · goof off · English
goof off · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "G" 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 | goof off |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˌɡuːf ˈɒf/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “goof off” in English
Rare enough to double-check
goof off is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌɡuːf ˈɒf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for goof off, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is goof off, spelled G-O-O-F- -O-F-F.
Definition
- 1To dawdle, lollygag; to waste time aimlessly or engage in idle activity or inactivity.
- 2To make a mistake.
- 3To fall asleep or pass out on drugs.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how goof off appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He sat there goofing off all day instead of working.
I've been goofing off since the day I was born.
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.