make off

/ˌmeɪk ˈɒf/

//ˌmeɪk ˈɒf// verb

"make-off" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“make 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 exit or depart; to run away.

Corpus desk

Index EN-make-off · make off · English

make 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 "M" 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.

Key facts for make off
PropertyValue
Headwordmake off
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌmeɪk ˈɒf/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “make off” in English

make offsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

make off is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌmeɪk ˈɒf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

make off has no tracked misspelling variants, 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 its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is make off, spelled M-A-K-E- -O-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    To exit or depart; to run away.
  2. 2
    To tie off, fix down or terminate the end of a rope, cable or thread.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As soon as he saw me, he turned around and made off down the road.
  2. [H]e was so frightened, being new to the sight, that he made off again, and never stopped until he had run a mile or more.

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

How do you spell "make off"?
"make off" is spelled M-A-K-E- -O-F-F. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmeɪk ˈɒf/.
What does "make off" mean?
As a verb, "make off" means: To exit or depart; to run away.
How do you pronounce "make off"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "make off" is /ˌmeɪk ˈɒf/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "make off" come from?
"make off" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list