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“Gaff” or “Gaffe”

gaff / gaffe are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

gaff g·AE·f

  • nouna sharp metal spike or spur that is fastened to the leg of a gamecock.
  • nouna spar rising aft from a mast to support the head of a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail.
  • nounan iron hook with a handle; used for landing large fish.

gaffe g·AE·f

No dictionary entry for this spelling — see the usage examples below for how it shows up in writing.

Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“gaff”

  • …the othersMichael Palin blows the gaff on the PythonsEric Idle bares…
  • …Dick George to compose "Minor Gaff (Blues Fantasy)" under the name…
  • Gaff and his men then open…
  • : Jack Darling, Andrew Gaff, Shannon Hurn, Jeremy McGovern, Brad…
  • …the oldest boat, the 66-year-old gaff cutter Golden Vanity; his crossing…
  • …hitmen, led by cartel member Gaff.

“gaffe”

  • …to see what horrendous social gaffe your hirelings have just committed…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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