knock off
"knock-off" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“knock 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
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To halt one's work or other activity.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | knock off |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “knock off” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for knock off is 9 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 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
knock off doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: In the verb sense of stopping work, said to be from the practice aboard slave galleys to have a man beat time for the rowers by knocking on a block or drum; when he stopped, the rowers could rest. The correct English form is knock off, spelled K-N-O-C-K- -O-F-F.
Definition
- 1To halt one's work or other activity.
- 2To kill.
- 3To kill.
- 4To remove, as a discount or estimate.
- 5To rob.
- 6To make a copy of, as of a design.
- 7To assign (an item) to a bidder at an auction, indicated by knocking on the counter.
- 8To have sex with (a woman).
- 9To accomplish hastily.
- 10To remove (something or someone) by hitting.
Etymology
In the verb sense of stopping work, said to be from the practice aboard slave galleys to have a man beat time for the rowers by knocking on a block or drum; when he stopped, the rowers could rest.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “knock off”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is K-N-O-C-K- -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.