poof
/pʊf/interjection, verb, noun
poof is spelled P-O-O-F: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,168th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an interjection, poof means “Onomatopoeia indicating a small explosion with a cloud of smoke; as caused by a deflating object, or a magical disappearance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in poof?
| Letters | 4: P-O-O-F |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,168th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is poof?
Poof appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,168th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce poof?
- /pʊf/
- /puːf/
Poof has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-poof.ogg, En-au-poof.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with poof
Sounds like: pouf (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of poof
- pouf
- poofs present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- poofing participle, present
- poofed participle, past
- pooves plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does poof mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
interjection
- 1
Onomatopoeia indicating a small explosion with a cloud of smoke; as caused by a deflating object, or a magical disappearance.
Poof, he was gone.
verb
- 1
To vanish or disappear.
He poofed into thin air.
- 2
To break wind; to fart.
noun
- 1
The product of flatulence, or the sound of breaking wind.
- 2
CommonwealthIrelandUKcolloquialderogatoryA gay man; especially one who is irritating or contemptible.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Poof in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pouf , s'évanouir, s'évaporer, disparaître , péter, prouter |
| German | puff |
| Portuguese | puf , bicha, paneleiro, maricas, zabela |
| Spanish | puf |
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 poof come from?
Onomatopoeic. See also puff.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).