pomade

/pəˈmeɪd/

//pəˈmeɪd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pomade” is uncommon English (frequency #68,542 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,542
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A greasy or waxy substance that is used to style hair, making it look slick and shiny.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pomade · pomade · English

pomade · rank #68,542 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,542
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH poppet

Nearest frequency peer: poppet (+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 “pomade”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pomade
PropertyValue
Headwordpomade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pəˈmeɪd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#68,542
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pomade” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).pomadefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “poppet” (#68,543), “Plimpton” (#68,540), “Portadown” (#68,545). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pomade” is #68,542. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pomade is uncommon English at frequency #68,542 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pəˈmeɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for pomade, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French pommade, from Italian pomata (“ointment, pomade”), from pomo (“apple”) + -ata (“-ade, -ate: forming nouns”), from Latin pōmum (“fruit, apple”). Doublet of pomatum, pomate, and pomace. Early pomades tended to be various kinds of fat mixed with ap… The correct English form is pomade, spelled P-O-M-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A greasy or waxy substance that is used to style hair, making it look slick and shiny.
  2. 2
    Synonym of ointment, particularly thick waxy ointments scented with fruit used to beautify the skin or hair.
  3. 3
    Synonym of cider, a soft or hard drink made from apples.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. So saying, Lady Mandeville turned to the toilette, and mercilessly tied up in her handkerchief the various brushes, combs, oils, pomade, and rouge, with which the table was profusely covered.
  2. The rain beat my hair, run down my face and into my mouth so that I can taste the coconut oil pomade from my hair.

Etymology

From French pommade, from Italian pomata (“ointment, pomade”), from pomo (“apple”) + -ata (“-ade, -ate: forming nouns”), from Latin pōmum (“fruit, apple”). Doublet of pomatum, pomate, and pomace. Early pomades tended to be various kinds of fat mixed with apples for a more pleasing scent.

Synonyms

pomatumpomate

This word in other languages

pommade(Français)Pomade(Deutsch)

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 "pomade"?
"pomade" is spelled P-O-M-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈmeɪd/.
What does "pomade" mean?
As a noun, "pomade" means: A greasy or waxy substance that is used to style hair, making it look slick and shiny.
How do you pronounce "pomade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pomade" is /pəˈmeɪd/. 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 "pomade"?
From French pommade, from Italian pomata (“ointment, pomade”), from pomo (“apple”) + -ata (“-ade, -ate: forming nouns”), from Latin pōmum (“fruit, apple”). Doublet of pomatum, pomate, and pomace. Early pomades tended to be various kinds of fat mix... 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 "pomade", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

poppet#68,543pumper#68,558Rashmi#68,567Ostend#68,503

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list