# offhand

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˌɔfˈhænd/ · frequency rank #45,553

## Definitions
1. Without planning or thinking ahead.
2. Careless; without sufficient thought or consideration.
3. Curt, abrupt, unfriendly.

## Etymology
From Middle English *ofhande, *ofhende, from Old English ofhende (“absent, lost”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *abahandijaz. Equivalent to (and re-formed as) off- + hand. Cognate with Icelandic afhendur. Compare onhand.

## Easily confused with
- **offend** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offend-vs-offhand)

## Common misspellings (9)
`fofhand`, `offahnd`, `offhadn`, `offhandd`, `offhannd`, `offhhand`, `offhnad`, `ofhand`, `ofhfand`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/offhand