go to pot

verb

"go-to-pot" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“go to pot” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To come to ruin, especially to decline or deteriorate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-go-to-pot · go to pot · English

go to pot · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "G" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for go to pot
PropertyValue
Headwordgo to pot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “go to pot” in English

go to potsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

go to pot is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for go to pot in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Figuratively be cut up and tossed into a pot like meat. The correct English form is go to pot, spelled G-O- -T-O- -P-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To come to ruin, especially to decline or deteriorate.
  2. 2
    Go to hell. (an angry dismissal)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They haven't been maintaining it, and the downtown area has really gone to pot over the past 20 years.
  2. Iacke Straw. […] I haue his wife and children pledges, for his ſpeedie returne from the King, to whom he is gone with our meſſage. Tom Miller. Let him take heede hee bring a wiſe anſwere to our worships, or els his pledges goes to the pot.

Etymology

Figuratively be cut up and tossed into a pot like meat.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "go to pot"?
"go to pot" is spelled G-O- -T-O- -P-O-T.
What does "go to pot" mean?
As a verb, "go to pot" means: To come to ruin, especially to decline or deteriorate.
What is the origin of the word "go to pot"?
Figuratively be cut up and tossed into a pot like meat. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list