standoffish
/stænˈdɔ.fɪʃ/adjective
standoffish is spelled S-T-A-N-D-O-F-F-I-S-H: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 85,266th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, standoffish means “Aloof; reserved; unsociable and unfriendly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in standoffish?
| Letters | 11: S-T-A-N-D-O-F-F-I-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 85,266th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is standoffish?
Standoffish appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 85,266th 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 standoffish?
- UK /stænˈdɒf.ɪʃ/
- UK /stænˈdɔː.fɪʃ/
- US /stænˈdɔ.fɪʃ/
Standoffish has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-standoffish.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with standoffish?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as standoffish from its last stressed vowel (/ɔfɪʃ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of standoffish
- more standoffish comparative
- most standoffish superlative
- stand-offish
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does standoffish mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Aloof; reserved; unsociable and unfriendly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Standoffish in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense unsociable:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | reserviert, spröde, hochnäsig |
| Spanish | huraño, huraña, antisocial, arisco, hosco, hurón |
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 standoffish come from?
From stand off + -ish.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).