# offing

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɒfɪŋ/ · frequency rank #46,667

## Definitions
1. The area of the sea in which a ship can be seen in the distance from land, excluding the parts nearest the shore, and beyond the anchoring ground.
2. The distance that a ship at sea keeps away from land, often because of navigational dangers, fog and other hazards; a position at a distance from shore.
3. The foreseeable future. Chiefly in the phrase in the offing.

## Etymology
From off + -ing. Attested since before 1600. Early texts also spell the term offin and offen.

## Easily confused with
- **owing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offing-vs-owing)
- **owning** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offing-vs-owning)
- **outing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offing-vs-outing)
- **oozing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offing-vs-oozing)
- **offline** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offing-vs-offline)
- **office** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/office-vs-offing)
- **offend** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offend-vs-offing)
- **offering** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/offering-vs-offing)

## Common misspellings (7)
`fofing`, `offign`, `offingg`, `offinng`, `offnig`, `ofifng`, `ofing`

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