How to pronounce “off”
Say “off” in one beat
off
/ɔf/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɒf/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- offɔf
- IPA (American)
- /ɔf/
- IPA (British)
- /ɒf/
- Respelling
- AWF
- Syllables
- 1 — off
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ɔf/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- verb, adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ɔf/
/ɒf/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “off” means
- verb
kill intentionally and with premeditation
“The mafia boss ordered his enemies murdered”
- adjective
not in operation or operational
“the oven is off”
- adjective
below a satisfactory level
“an off year for tennis”
Say it in a sentence
“He took his shoes off before stepping onto the carpet.”“off”, answered
How do you pronounce “off”?
“off” is pronounced /ɔf/ (AWF) in American English and /ɒf/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /ɔf/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “off” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /ɔf/ — a single beat.
Is “off” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɔf/ (AWF); British English says /ɒf/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “off” mean?
As a verb: kill intentionally and with premeditation For example: “The mafia boss ordered his enemies murdered” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “off”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ɔf/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “off” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.