pocket

/ˈpɒk.ɪt/

//ˈpɒk.ɪt// noun

"pocket" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pocket” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,123 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,123
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pocket vs poet
67% similar
pocket vs poke
67% similar
pocket vs poker
67% similar

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

Key facts for pocket
PropertyValue
Headwordpocket
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɒk.ɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,123
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pocket” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). pocket lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for pocket is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɒk.ɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,123 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 21 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for pocket, with forms such as "opcket", "pcoket", and "poccket". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "poet", "poke", "poker", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pocket (“bag, sack”), from Anglo-Norman poket, Old Northern French poquet, poquete, diminutive of poque, poke (“bag, sack”) (compare modern Norman pouquette and modern French pochette from Old French pochete, from puche), from Frankish *… The correct English form is pocket, spelled P-O-C-K-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items.
  2. 2
    A person's financial resources.
  3. 3
    An indention and cavity with a net sack or similar structure (into which the balls are to be struck) at each corner and one centered on each side of a pool or snooker table.
  4. 4
    An enclosed volume of one substance surrounded by another.
  5. 5
    An area of land surrounded by a loop of a river.
  6. 6
    The area of the field to the side of the goal posts (four pockets in total on the field, one to each side of the goals at each end of the ground). The pocket is only a roughly defined area, extending from the behind post, at an angle, to perhaps about 30 meters out.
  7. 7
    The area behind the line of scrimmage subject to certain rules regarding intentional grounding, illegal contact, etc., formally extending to the end zone but more usually understood as the central area around the quarterback directly protected by the offensive line.
  8. 8
    An area where military units are completely surrounded by enemy units.
  9. 9
    The position held by a second defensive middle, where an advanced middle must retreat after making a touch on the attacking middle.
  10. 10
    The unbroken part of a wave that offers the surfer the most power.
  11. 11
    A large bag or sack formerly used for packing various articles, such as ginger, hops, or cowries; the pocket of wool held about 168 pounds.
  12. 12
    A hole or space covered by a movable piece of board, as in a floor, boxing, partitions, etc.
  13. 13
    A cavity in a rock containing a nugget of gold, or other mineral; a small body of ore contained in such a cavity.
  14. 14
    A strip of canvas sewn upon a sail so that a batten or a light spar can placed in the interspace.
  15. 15
    The pouch of an animal.
  16. 16
    The ideal point where the pins are hit by the bowling ball.
  17. 17
    A socket for receiving the base of a post, stake, etc.
  18. 18
    A bight on a lee shore.
  19. 19
    A small space between a tooth and the adjoining gum, formed by an abnormal separation of the two.
  20. 20
    A small, isolated group or area.
  21. 21
    A state achieved with steady, enjoyable drumming.

Etymology

From Middle English pocket (“bag, sack”), from Anglo-Norman poket, Old Northern French poquet, poquete, diminutive of poque, poke (“bag, sack”) (compare modern Norman pouquette and modern French pochette from Old French pochete, from puche), from Frankish *pokō (“pouch”), from Proto-Germanic *pukkô, *pukô (“bag; pouch”), from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to blow, swell”). Equivalent to poke + -et. Doublet of pochette. Cognate with Middle Dutch poke, Alemannic German Pfoch (“purse, bag”), Old English pocca, pohha (“poke, pouch, pocket, bag”), Old Norse poki (“bag, pocket”). Compare the related poke (“sack or bag”). See also Modern French pochette and Latin bucca.

Synonyms

backfieldpassing pockettackle box

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: opcket,pcoket,poccket,pocekt,pockett,pockket,pockte,pokcet,ppocket

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pocket - 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.

opcket2pcoket2poccket1pocekt2pockett1pockket1pockte2pokcet2
Edit distance from "pocket"

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 "pocket"?
"pocket" is spelled P-O-C-K-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɒk.ɪt/.
What does "pocket" mean?
As a noun, "pocket" means: A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items.
What words are commonly confused with "pocket"?
"pocket" is commonly confused with "poet", "poke", "poker". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pocket"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pocket" is /ˈpɒk.ɪt/. 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 "pocket"?
From Middle English pocket (“bag, sack”), from Anglo-Norman poket, Old Northern French poquet, poquete, diminutive of poque, poke (“bag, sack”) (compare modern Norman pouquette and modern French pochette from Old French pochete, from puche), from ... 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.

Using “pocket”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-C-K-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɒk.ɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “poet” - see the side-by-side comparison. pocket vs poet
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list