Of vs. Off: What’s the Difference?

The words of and off are small but powerful. They often cause confusion because they sound similar — especially in fast speech — but they serve different grammatical roles.

Here’s the short rule:

• Of → shows relationship, belonging, or origin 📦
• Off → shows separation, removal, or distance 🚪

1. Of: Shows Relationship or Belonging

Meaning

“Of” is a preposition used to show possession, origin, connection, content, or description.
It tells us how one thing relates to another.

Examples (10 total)

1. The cover of the book is red.
2. She is a friend of mine.
3. A cup of tea, please.
4. The capital of France is Paris.
5. The sound of music filled the room.
6. He’s a man of great wisdom.
7. The smell of coffee woke me up.
8. The color of the sky is blue.
9. A piece of cake sounds perfect.
10. The Queen of England waved to the crowd.

🧠 Tip:
If it means belonging to, about, or made from, use of.

“The pages of a book” = the book’s pages.

2. Off: Shows Separation or Movement Away

Meaning

“Off” is used as a preposition, adverb, or adjective to show removal, distance, or disconnection.
It’s the opposite of on or attached.

Examples (10 total)

1. Please take your shoes off.
2. The cat jumped off the table.
3. The lights are off.
4. He fell off the bike.
5. She brushed the dust off her jacket.
6. Turn off your phone during the meeting.
7. The plane took off at 6 p.m.
8. The milk smells off (spoiled).
9. He’s been off work for a week.
10. The show was called off due to rain.

🧠 Tip:
If it means away from, not on, or disconnected, use off.

“Take your hat off” = remove your hat.

3. Quick Comparison Table

4. Common Phrases with “Of”

• a piece of cake
• a friend of mine
• the end of the day
• kind of funny
• full of energy

Example:

It’s the best part of the movie.

5. Common Phrases with “Off”

• take off
• turn off
• get off work
• day off
• break off a relationship

Example:

The plane took off on time.

6. How to Remember

👉 Of = belonging to or connected with something
👉 Off = away from or removed from something

💡 Memory Trick:

“Of” connects things.
“Off” separates things.

7. Common Mistakes

❌ Take the lid of the jar.
✅ Take the lid off the jar.

❌ The color off the sky is blue.
✅ The color of the sky is blue.

❌ Turn of the light.
✅ Turn off the light.

8. Why It’s Confusing

In fast speech, “of” can sound like “off”, especially in accents where “f” sounds blend (e.g., cup o’ tea for cup of tea).
However, in writing, they are never interchangeable.

Smart grammar tools like Humanizey automatically distinguish between of and off based on meaning, keeping your text accurate and natural.

FAQs

1. Can “off” be used as an adjective?

Yes — for example, The milk smells off (means spoiled or bad).

2. Is “of” ever pronounced like “off”?

In informal speech, yes — but in writing, you must spell it of.

3. Can “off” mean “not working”?

Yes. Example: The machine is off.

4. Is “of” used for possession?

Yes. Example: The house of my dreams.

Practice: Choose the Correct Word (“Of” or “Off”)

(Answers are listed at the end.)

1. Turn ___ the lights before you leave.
2. A piece ___ chocolate would be nice.
3. The cat jumped ___ the chair.
4. The smell ___ rain is refreshing.
5. She took her jacket ___.
6. The top ___ the mountain was covered in snow.
7. Please wipe the dust ___ the table.
8. The capital ___ Japan is Tokyo.
9. He fell ___ his skateboard.
10. The door ___ the car was open.

Answers

1. off
2. of
3. off
4. of
5. off
6. of
7. off
8. of
9. off
10. of