poltroon
/pɒlˈtɹuːn/
"poltroon" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“poltroon” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An ignoble or total coward; a dastard; a mean-spirited wretch.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | poltroon |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /pɒlˈtɹuːn/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “poltroon” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for poltroon is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɒlˈtɹuːn/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "An ignoble or total coward; a dastard; a mean-spirited wretch.".
No misspelling variants are generated for poltroon in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French poltron, from Italian poltrone. The correct English form is poltroon, spelled P-O-L-T-R-O-O-N.
Definition
- 1An ignoble or total coward; a dastard; a mean-spirited wretch.
Etymology
From Middle French poltron, from Italian poltrone.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “poltroon”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-O-L-T-R-O-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pɒlˈtɹuːn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.