AAAmerican Accent US

let off

Separable

The object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: let OFF. Saying “LET off” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

The /t/ flaps. Between vowels, American /t/ and /d/ both become a quick tap, so “let off” comes out as “le-doff” — closer to a fast D than a T. Drop a pronoun in the middle and it flaps twice: “let it off” → “le-di-doff”.

What it means

  1. To excuse someone from punishment.

    • “The judge let him off with a fine.”
    • “You got let off lightly.”

    Similar: excuse, pardon

The particle logic

off

Contact is broken: something detaches, leaves, or stops.

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More LET phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

let down

To disappoint someone who was relying on you.

let in

To allow someone or something to enter.

let out

To allow someone or something to leave.

let go of

To release your grip, literally or emotionally.

let off — meaning, examples & how to say it