poach

/ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/

//ˈpoʊt͡ʃ// verb

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

"poach" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poach” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,828. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,828
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cook (something) in simmering or very hot liquid (usually water; sometimes wine, broth, or otherwise).

Corpus desk

Index EN-poach · poach · English

poach · rank #42,828 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,828
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH polices

Nearest frequency peer: polices (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “poach”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “poach” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

poach vs POC
0% similar
poach vs posh
60% similar
poach vs Pooh
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for poach
PropertyValue
Headwordpoach
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#42,828
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “poach”

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).poachlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “polices” (#42,829), “Pliocene” (#42,826), “pleaser” (#42,825). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “poach” is #42,828. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around poach (IPA /ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #42,828 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for poach, with forms such as "opach", "paoch", and "poacch". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "POC", "posh", "Pooh", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pochen (“to poach (eggs)”), from Old French pocher "to put (egg yolks) in pockets" (i.e. in bags formed by the whites), from Old French poche (“pocket”). The correct English form is poach, spelled P-O-A-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cook (something) in simmering or very hot liquid (usually water; sometimes wine, broth, or otherwise).
  2. 2
    To be cooked in such manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Eldridge closed the despatch-case with a snap and, rising briskly, walked down the corridor to his solitary table in the dining-car. Mulligatawny soup, poached turbot, roast leg of lamb—the usual railway dinner.
  2. The white of an egg with spirit of wine, doth bake the egg into clots, as if it began to poach.

Etymology

From Middle English pochen (“to poach (eggs)”), from Old French pocher "to put (egg yolks) in pockets" (i.e. in bags formed by the whites), from Old French poche (“pocket”).

This word in other languages

escalfar(Español)pocher(Français)pochieren(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opach
  • paoch
  • poacch
  • poachh
  • poahc
  • pocah
  • ppoach

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of poach - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

opach2paoch2poacch1poachh1poahc2pocah2ppoach1
Edit distance from "poach"

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 "poach"?
"poach" is spelled P-O-A-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/.
What does "poach" mean?
As a verb, "poach" means: To cook (something) in simmering or very hot liquid (usually water; sometimes wine, broth, or otherwise).
What words are commonly confused with "poach"?
"poach" is commonly confused with "POC", "posh", "Pooh". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poach"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poach" is /ˈpoʊt͡ʃ/. 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 "poach"?
From Middle English pochen (“to poach (eggs)”), from Old French pocher "to put (egg yolks) in pockets" (i.e. in bags formed by the whites), from Old French poche (“pocket”). 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 "poach", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pubes#42,838Pauly#42,813Pasco#42,811Paras#42,810

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

NLRB7 variantsmobbed7 variantsmandi7 variantsLuxor7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list