po-po

/ˈpoʊˈpoʊ/

//ˈpoʊˈpoʊ// noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One's posterior, bottom, buttocks.

Corpus desk

Index EN-po-po · po-po · English

po-po · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" 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 po-po
PropertyValue
Headwordpo-po
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpoʊˈpoʊ/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “po-po” in English

po-posits 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

po-po is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpoʊˈpoʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

po-po has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From various words by shortening and reduplication. The "posterior" sense may be reduplication of the initial syllable of that word, with modification of the vowel according to its spelling. Compare German Popo (“bottom”) from Latin pōdex (“anus”). The "pol… The correct English form is po-po, spelled P-O---P-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    One's posterior, bottom, buttocks.
  2. 2
    Genitals, especially the vulva.
  3. 3
    The police; a police officer.
  4. 4
    A prison officer, corrections officer, prison guard.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Feet up, pat him on the po-po Let’s hear him laugh Ain’t seen a babe like this before He’s so good-lookin’, gonna have some more Feet up, pat him on the po-po
  2. [He] gets jelly on his head, jelly on his po-po, jelly on his.... well, you know what rhymes with jelly. If your Junior starts singing this in public he’ll show you up.

Etymology

From various words by shortening and reduplication. The "posterior" sense may be reduplication of the initial syllable of that word, with modification of the vowel according to its spelling. Compare German Popo (“bottom”) from Latin pōdex (“anus”). The "police" sense may come from either the initial syllable of police or the initial letters of the words police officer. Compare PO.

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 "po-po"?
"po-po" is spelled P-O---P-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpoʊˈpoʊ/.
What does "po-po" mean?
As a noun, "po-po" means: One's posterior, bottom, buttocks.
How do you pronounce "po-po"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "po-po" is /ˈpoʊˈpoʊ/. 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 "po-po"?
From various words by shortening and reduplication. The "posterior" sense may be reduplication of the initial syllable of that word, with modification of the vowel according to its spelling. Compare German Popo (“bottom”) from Latin pōdex (“anus”)... 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