olla

/ˈɒlə/

//ˈɒlə// noun

"olla" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“olla” is uncommon English (frequency #90,796 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,796
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cooking-pot or earthenware jar used in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries.

Corpus desk

Index EN-olla · olla · English

olla · rank #90,796 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #90,796
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Okun

Nearest frequency peer: Okun (-3 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 “olla”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for olla
PropertyValue
Headwordolla
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒlə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#90,796
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “olla” 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).ollafalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Okun” (#90,793), “Ojibwe” (#90,792), “optoelectronics” (#90,801). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “olla” is #90,796. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

olla is uncommon English at frequency #90,796 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɒlə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for olla, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish olla, from Latin ōlla, aulla; akin to Sanskrit उखा (ukhā, “pot”), and probably also Gothic 𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌽𐍃 (auhns, “oven”). The correct English form is olla, spelled O-L-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cooking-pot or earthenware jar used in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries.
  2. 2
    A pot used for cooling water by evaporation in Latin America.
  3. 3
    An unglazed earthenware pot, buried to provide slow steady irrigation.
  4. 4
    A cinerary urn.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On top of the counter were three clay jars or ollas. Two of them were empty but the third was covered with the tin lid from a lardpail and the lid was notched to accommodate the handle of an enameled tin dipper.
  2. An olla (which literally means “pot”) is a round, unglazed terra cotta clay pot with a long neck that you fill with water and bury next to your plants. It irrigates in the ground.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish olla, from Latin ōlla, aulla; akin to Sanskrit उखा (ukhā, “pot”), and probably also Gothic 𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌽𐍃 (auhns, “oven”).

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 "olla"?
"olla" is spelled O-L-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒlə/.
What does "olla" mean?
As a noun, "olla" means: A cooking-pot or earthenware jar used in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries.
How do you pronounce "olla"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "olla" is /ˈɒlə/. 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 "olla"?
Borrowed from Spanish olla, from Latin ōlla, aulla; akin to Sanskrit उखा (ukhā, “pot”), and probably also Gothic 𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌽𐍃 (auhns, “oven”). 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 "olla", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list