reel-off
Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.
Detailed reference entry for the English word "reel-off", 8-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "reel-off" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "reel-off" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
The verdict
“reel 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
Dominant Wiktionary sense: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see reel, off.
Compare similar words
See how reel off compares against similar English words.
Browse all word comparisons →| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | reel off |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “reel off” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for reel 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 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for reel off in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From reel (noun), suggesting a mechanical movement. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is reel off, spelled R-E-E-L- -O-F-F, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see reel, off.
- 2To list effortlessly and quickly.
- 3To produce (e.g. a performance), in an effortless manner.
Etymology
From reel (noun), suggesting a mechanical movement.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "reel off"?
What does "reel off" mean?
What is the origin of the word "reel off"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “reel off”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-E-L- -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
Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter R in our English index: