What is the difference between off and of?

Off is the opposite of on. It is pronounced "OFF."

Of is most commonly used to show possession (e.g., an uncle of Mr. Jones) or to show what
something is made of (e.g., a wall of ice). It is pronounced "OV."

What Is the Difference between Off and Of?

Writers are sometimes confused by the words of and off. As this confusion rarely occurs in
speech, it can often be rectified simply by remembering how the words are pronounced.

 Off is pronounced OFF

 Of is pronounced OV

The words of and off are both prepositions. (Note: Here at Grammar Monster, we have found
that explaining the grammatical functions of these words is not usually helpful because
anyone who can understand the explanation rarely confuses the words.)

Using Of
Here are the most common uses of the word of. The word of is used:

 To show possession
o The hand of God
o A part of me
 To state what something is made of
o A splinter of wood
o A heart of gold
 To show what something contains
o A cup of coffee
o A plate of figs
 To show a point of reckoning
o North of the wall
o West of New York

Using Off
The word off is the opposite of the word on. For example:

 Turn it on. Turn it off.

 Put it on the table. Take it off the table.
The word off is commonly seen as part of a phrasal verb, which is a single verb made up of
more than one word. A phrasal verb has a main verb and an accompanying word (like off).
The accompanying word can be either a preposition or a particle (a type of adverb).

When the accompanying word introduces a prepositional phrase, it is classified as a

preposition. When it does not, it is a particle. For example (phrasal verbs shaded):

 Wipe that paint off the wall.

(In this example, the prepositional phrase is off the wall. The word off is a
preposition.)

 Stop showing off.

(Here, off is a particle.)