pay off
/ˈpeɪ.ɒf/verb
pay off is spelled P-A-Y-O-F-F: 6 letters. People search “pay-off vs payoff” about 40 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, pay off means “To bribe, especially to deter oversight” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pay off?
| Letters | 6: P-A-Y-O-F-F |
|---|---|
| In writing | a phrase: the frequency list counts single words |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you pronounce pay off?
- /ˈpeɪ.ɒf/
- /ˈpeɪ.ɔːf/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pay-off.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-pay_off.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pay off
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: payoff (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of pay off
- payoff
- pays off present, singular, he/she/it
- paying off participle, present
- paid off participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pay off mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
informalTo bribe, especially to deter oversight.
I thought the guards would give us trouble, but apparently he had paid them off.
- 2
To become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit.
Her years of Spanish classes finally paid off when she found herself in Mexico and realized she could communicate with people.
- 3
To pay back; to repay.
He paid off the loan three months early.
- 4
To pay back (repay) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on (the thing that was financed).
This contract requires you to pay off the car by 2025.
- 5
To pay and discharge (an employee).
- 6
To fall to leeward, as the head of a vessel under sail.
noun
- 1
A payment in full; the state of having been paid in full.
At the current monthly payment level, it'll take 32 more months to reach pay-off.
- 2
A reward.
What's the pay-off for putting up with her nonsense for ages on end?
- 3
A return on investment.
How soon could we realistically expect any pay-off from loading up on shares of that company?
- 4
informalA bribe.
The prison break never could have succeeded if it hadn't been for multiple pay-offs to various corrupt officers.
- 5
colloquialA resolution or justification of an event that has already occurred.
Where's the pay-off for that whole segment of the plot?
- 6
Ellipsis of payoff pitch.
The bases are loaded, so he'd better make the pay-off count.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pay off in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rétribution , récompense , pot-de-vin , soudoyer , payer, porter ses fruits |
| German | Auszahlung , Ausgleichszahlung , Schmiergeld, Schmiergeldzahlung, Bestechungsgeld , bestechen |
| Portuguese | pagamento , recompensa , suborno , compensar |
| Spanish | pago , recompensa, retribución, provecho , soborno , valer la pena |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pay off come from?
Deverbal from pay off.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).