What does taffy mean?
Taffy is a chewy sweet traditionally made by cooking sugar with milk or cream and other ingredients, often pulling the mixture as it cools to give it a firm, elastic texture. It may be flavored and colored in many ways, with saltwater taffy and flavored fruit varieties among the best-known forms. The word can also describe a hard, sticky substance that resembles the candy, especially tar, pitch, or adhesive material. In ordinary conversation, taffy usually refers to the confectionery rather than to any specific flavor or style. Its distinctive quality is that it can be stretched without immediately breaking, making it a familiar subject of childhood images involving sticky hands, playful pulling, and hurried eating. Although it is sometimes confused with toffee, the two are generally distinct: taffy is more elastic and chewy, while toffee is firmer and denser.
A sweet, chewy confectionery made from boiled sugar, butter, and milk or cream, often flavored and colored.
"He bought a piece of taffy at the seaside."
Often used for pulled candy and especially common in North American English.
A hard, sticky substance resembling taffy.
"The old roof was covered with a layer of black taffy."
This is a figurative or comparative use and is less common than the confectionery sense.
The plural is used for individual pieces or varieties of the confectionery.
"The shop window displayed trays of colorful taffies."
Taffy is the candy that turns eating into a small tug-of-war: pull it, stretch it, and try not to lose the first bite.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does taffy come from?
The word taffy is recorded in the 19th century, but its precise origin is uncertain. It became established as a name for a chewy confectionery, especially in North America, while the meaning for a sticky or adhesive substance developed through comparison with the candy.
How taffy is actually used
The word is most commonly used for chewy pulled candy in North America and is also familiar in British English. In the second sense, the comparison can describe any tough, adhesive material.
Easily confused with taffy
Taffy is a chewy or stretchy candy, whereas toffee is generally firmer, denser, and less elastic.