ort

/ɔːt/

//ɔːt// noun

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

"ort" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ort” is uncommon English (frequency #60,328 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,328
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A fragment; a scrap of leftover food; any remainder; a piece of refuse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ort · ort · English

ort · rank #60,328 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,328
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH ordo

Nearest frequency peer: ordo (-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 “ort”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ort
PropertyValue
Headwordort
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɔːt/
Letters3
Frequency rank#60,328
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ort” 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).ortfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “ordo” (#60,327), “osm” (#60,329), “Otero” (#60,330). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ort” is #60,328. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ort is uncommon English at frequency #60,328 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɔːt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for ort in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English orte, from Old English *oreta (“that which is left after eating”, literally “out-eat”); for more, see Old English or-, English eat. Cognate with Middle Low German orte (“refuse of food”), Middle Dutch ooraete, ooreete, Low German ort (“o… The correct English form is ort, spelled O-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fragment; a scrap of leftover food; any remainder; a piece of refuse.
  2. 2
    A small coin, formerly used in central Europe.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]the rich ate and drank freely, and accepted gout and apoplexy as things that ran mysteriously in respectable families, and the poor thought that the rich were entirely in the right of it to lead a jolly life; besides, their feasting caused a multiplication of orts, which were the heirlooms of the poor.
  2. Come, Kinch, you have eaten all we left. Ay, I will serve you your orts and offals.

Etymology

From Middle English orte, from Old English *oreta (“that which is left after eating”, literally “out-eat”); for more, see Old English or-, English eat. Cognate with Middle Low German orte (“refuse of food”), Middle Dutch ooraete, ooreete, Low German ort (“ort”), Middle High German urez, German Uräß and also German Ort (“quarter (of a thaler, etc)”). As the term for a coin, probably borrowed from the central European languages which used it: German Ort (“quarter (of a thaler)”), Polish ort (“coin”), etc.

Synonyms

bitchipgubbinsleftoverscrapremnantresiduegarbagerubbish

This word in other languages

migaja(Español)

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 "ort"?
"ort" is spelled O-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɔːt/.
What does "ort" mean?
As a noun, "ort" means: A fragment; a scrap of leftover food; any remainder; a piece of refuse.
How do you pronounce "ort"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ort" is /ɔːt/. 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 "ort"?
From Middle English orte, from Old English *oreta (“that which is left after eating”, literally “out-eat”); for more, see Old English or-, English eat. Cognate with Middle Low German orte (“refuse of food”), Middle Dutch ooraete, ooreete, Low Germ... 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 "ort", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

osm#60,329OHS#60,322nef#60,308MW3#60,299

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list