poof

/pʊf/

//pʊf// intj

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

"poof" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poof” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,296. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,296
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Onomatopoeia indicating a small explosion with a cloud of smoke; as caused by a deflating object, or a magical disappearance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-poof · poof · English

poof · rank #31,296 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,296
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH possum

Nearest frequency peer: possum (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “poof”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “poof” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

poof vs pro
50% similar
poof vs pop
50% similar
poof vs pot
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for poof
PropertyValue
Headwordpoof
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/pʊf/
Letters4
Frequency rank#31,296
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “poof”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).pooflands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “possum” (#31,297), “plumage” (#31,294), “potted” (#31,298). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “poof” is #31,296. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around poof (IPA /pʊf/), aninterjection. Corpus frequency is #31,296 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Onomatopoeia indicating a small explosion with a cloud of smoke; as caused by a deflating object, or a magical disappearance.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for poof, with forms such as "opof", "pof", and "pofo". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pro", "pop", "pot", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Onomatopoeic. See also puff. The correct English form is poof, spelled P-O-O-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Onomatopoeia indicating a small explosion with a cloud of smoke; as caused by a deflating object, or a magical disappearance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how poof appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Poof, he was gone.
  2. Even now, in the spring, the river softly cries, 'Menthol, Menthol, you are one wazoo. One day I'm the elf next door and the poof I'm a river.'

Etymology

Onomatopoeic. See also puff.

This word in other languages

puf(Español)pouf(Français)puff(Deutsch)puf(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opof
  • pof
  • pofo
  • pooff
  • ppoof

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of poof - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

opof2pof1pofo2pooff1ppoof1
Edit distance from "poof"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "poof"?
"poof" is spelled P-O-O-F. The IPA pronunciation is /pʊf/.
What does "poof" mean?
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.
What words are commonly confused with "poof"?
"poof" is commonly confused with "pro", "pop", "pot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poof"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poof" is /pʊf/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "poof"?
Onomatopoeic. See also puff. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "poof", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pena#31,287oust#31,281mull#31,263Saad#31,329

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

juve5 variantstaro5 variantsvide5 variantsgove5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list