# spoof

> English word · Noun · IPA /spuːf/ · frequency rank #25,592

## Definitions
1. An act of deception; a hoax; a joking prank.
2. An act of deception; a hoax; a joking prank.
3. A light parody.
4. A drinking game in which players hold up to three (or another specified number of) coins hidden in a fist and attempt to guess the total number of coins held.
5. Nonsense.

## Etymology
Coined by the English comedian Arthur Roberts (1852–1933) in 1884 as the name of a card game involving deception and nonsense.

## Easily confused with
- **spot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-spot)
- **sport** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-sport)
- **stood** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-stood)
- **spots** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-spots)
- **spoon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-spoon)
- **stool** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-stool)
- **swoop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-swoop)
- **stoop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-stoop)
- **spout** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-spout)
- **spore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-spore)
- **spook** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-spook)
- **swoon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-swoon)
- **spool** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-spool)
- **spooky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-spooky)
- **spoons** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoof-vs-spoons)
- **SPF** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spf-vs-spoof)
- **soon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soon-vs-spoof)
- **sooo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sooo-vs-spoof)
- **soot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soot-vs-spoof)
- **shoo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoo-vs-spoof)

## Common misspellings (7)
`psoof`, `sopof`, `spof`, `spofo`, `spooff`, `sppoof`, `sspoof`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/spoof