knockoff

noun

"knockoff" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“knockoff” is an uncommon English word, ranked #53,650 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#53,650
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An imitation of something, particularly a well-known product, usually of lower quality and price than the original.

Key facts for knockoff
PropertyValue
Headwordknockoff
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#53,650
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “knockoff” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). knockoff lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for knockoff is 8 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #53,650 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for knockoff in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. 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.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from knock off. The correct English form is knockoff, spelled K-N-O-C-K-O-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    An imitation of something, particularly a well-known product, usually of lower quality and price than the original.
  2. 2
    A device in a knitting machine to remove loops from the needles.

Etymology

Deverbal from knock off.

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); 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 "knockoff"?
"knockoff" is spelled K-N-O-C-K-O-F-F.
What does "knockoff" mean?
As a noun, "knockoff" means: An imitation of something, particularly a well-known product, usually of lower quality and price than the original.
What is the origin of the word "knockoff"?
Deverbal from knock off. 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.

Using “knockoff”

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list