pick off

verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“pick off” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To remove by picking.

Key facts for pick off
PropertyValue
Headwordpick off
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pick off” sits in English frequency

pick off falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for pick off is 8 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for pick off, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is pick off, spelled P-I-C-K- -O-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remove by picking.
  2. 2
    To dispose of tasks, obstacles, opponents etc. precisely, one by one.
  3. 3
    To dispose of tasks, obstacles, opponents etc. precisely, one by one.
  4. 4
    To throw out a runner by tagging them whilst they are not in contact with any of the three bases or home plate.
  5. 5
    To intercept, such as a ball in flight.

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 "pick off"?
"pick off" is spelled P-I-C-K- -O-F-F.
What does "pick off" mean?
As a verb, "pick off" means: To remove by picking.
What language does "pick off" come from?
"pick off" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “pick off”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-I-C-K- -O-F-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list