off with someone's head
/ˈɒf wɪð ˈsʌmwənz ˈhɛd/
"off-with-someone-s-head" is a 19-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“off with someone's head” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 23
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used to express a desire to kill the person in question.
Corpus desk
Index EN-off-with-someone-s-head · off with someone's head · English
off with someone's head · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 23 letters
- VOW-8 8 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "O" 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 | off with someone's head |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | /ˈɒf wɪð ˈsʌmwənz ˈhɛd/ |
| Letters | 23 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “off with someone's head” in English
Rare enough to double-check
off with someone's head is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed /ˈɒf wɪð ˈsʌmwənz ˈhɛd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Used to express a desire to kill the person in question.".
off with someone's head doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the common use in past times of decapitation as a method of execution for prominent persons. The correct English form is off with someone's head, spelled O-F-F- -W-I-T-H- -S-O-M-E-O-N-E-'-S- -H-E-A-D.
Definition
- 1Used to express a desire to kill the person in question.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how off with someone's head appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Some nerve! Off with their heads! shouted the master of ceremonies with mock ferocity, while the audience laughed.
"I see!" said the Queen, who had meanwhile been examining the roses. "Off with their heads!" and the procession moved on, three of the soldiers remaining behind to execute the unfortunate gardeners, who ran to Alice for protection. "You shan't be beheaded!" said Alice, and she put them into a large flower-pot that stood near.
Etymology
From the common use in past times of decapitation as a method of execution for prominent persons.
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.