“Of” vs. “Off”

“Of” and “off.” Similar spellings, different pronunciations.  Did you know that the words “of” and “off” have different vowels? Also, though both are spelled with an “f,” only word contains a /f/ sound.

Two things make these “of” and “off” different.

  1. Vowel sound

Do you remember the difference between “uh” and “ah”? If not, refer back to this tutorial. The word “of” has the neutral /ə/ sound (as in “about”).  The word “off” has the low, relaxed /ɑ/ sound (as in “dog”).

  1. Final consonant

The final consonant of the word “off” is just as it would seem; it is pronounced as a voiceless /f/ sound.  The final consonant of the word “of” is NOT as it would seem; it is pronounced as a voiced /v/ sound.  If you need a refresher on voiced and voiceless consonants, refer back to this tutorial.

There you have it! Two simple words, two very different pronunciations.

Signing off now.

About the Author: Jane Rupp is a speech pathologist and owner of Voices of the World Speech Therapy, a business in Austin, Texas that specializes in accent reduction training.