amphora

/ˈæm.fə.ɹə/

//ˈæm.fə.ɹə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"amphora" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“amphora” is uncommon English (frequency #73,856 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,856
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A large, two-handled vessel, especially a thin-necked clay vat used in ancient Greece and Rome for storing and transporting wine and oil.

Corpus desk

Index EN-amphora · amphora · English

amphora · rank #73,856 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,856
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ampere

Nearest frequency peer: ampere (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “amphora”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “amphora” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for amphora
PropertyValue
Headwordamphora
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæm.fə.ɹə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#73,856
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “amphora” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).amphorafalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “ampere” (#73,855), “anagrams” (#73,857), “alveoli” (#73,854). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “amphora” is #73,856. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

amphora is uncommon English at frequency #73,856 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈæm.fə.ɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for amphora in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin amphora (“large wine vessel, Roman unit of liquid measure”), from Ancient Greek ἀμφορεύς (amphoreús, “two-handled pitcher, Greek units of liquid measure”), ultimately from Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀠𐀡𐀩𐀸 (a-pi-po-re-we, “carried on both sides”). The correct English form is amphora, spelled A-M-P-H-O-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large, two-handled vessel, especially a thin-necked clay vat used in ancient Greece and Rome for storing and transporting wine and oil.
  2. 2
    A Roman unit of liquid measure reckoned as the volume of 80 Roman pounds of wine and equivalent to about 26 L although differing slightly over time.
  3. 3
    A Roman unit of ship capacity, similar to tonnage.
  4. 4
    A lower valve of a fruit that opens transversely.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how amphora appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. By concurrent use of panel decoration and concentric-circle ornament, and by free employment of red paint, the fully developed style of the Geometric Period attains a wide range of rich and elaborate effects. These are best displayed on the necks and shoulders of the very large amphorai which are characteristic of this period.
  2. A complete set for a ten-man symposion (an ordinary size) with ten deep cups, ten shallow cups, two mixing-bowls, two wine-jugs, two hydriai, two amphorai would cost in the neighbourhood of forty drachmai, and that would not be an unreasonable price for a rich man for a special occasion.

Etymology

From Latin amphora (“large wine vessel, Roman unit of liquid measure”), from Ancient Greek ἀμφορεύς (amphoreús, “two-handled pitcher, Greek units of liquid measure”), ultimately from Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀠𐀡𐀩𐀸 (a-pi-po-re-we, “carried on both sides”).

Synonyms

Roman amphoraquadrantalamphora quadrantal

This word in other languages

cántaro(Español)amphore(Français)Amphore(Deutsch)ânfora(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "amphora"?
"amphora" is spelled A-M-P-H-O-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæm.fə.ɹə/.
What does "amphora" mean?
As a noun, "amphora" means: A large, two-handled vessel, especially a thin-necked clay vat used in ancient Greece and Rome for storing and transporting wine and oil.
How do you pronounce "amphora"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "amphora" is /ˈæm.fə.ɹə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "amphora"?
From Latin amphora (“large wine vessel, Roman unit of liquid measure”), from Ancient Greek ἀμφορεύς (amphoreús, “two-handled pitcher, Greek units of liquid measure”), ultimately from Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀠𐀡𐀩𐀸 (a-pi-po-re-we, “carried on both side... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "amphora", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

alveoli#73,854affaire#73,844awardee#73,879bannock#73,885

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list