pompadour

/ˈpɒmpədʊə/

//ˈpɒmpədʊə// noun

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

"pompadour" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pompadour” is uncommon English (frequency #64,619 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,619
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A women's hairstyle in which the hair is swept upwards from the face and worn high over the forehead.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pompadour · pompadour · English

pompadour · rank #64,619 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,619
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH politicking

Nearest frequency peer: politicking (-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 “pompadour”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pompadour
PropertyValue
Headwordpompadour
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɒmpədʊə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#64,619
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pompadour” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “politicking” (#64,618), “Pontus” (#64,620), “positing” (#64,621). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pompadour” is #64,619. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pompadour is uncommon English at frequency #64,619 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɒmpədʊə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

pompadour doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French Pompadour, after Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764), mistress of Louis XV. The correct English form is pompadour, spelled P-O-M-P-A-D-O-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A women's hairstyle in which the hair is swept upwards from the face and worn high over the forehead.
  2. 2
    A men's hairstyle of the 1950s.
  3. 3
    A crimson or pink colour.
  4. 4
    A corsage with low square neck.
  5. 5
    A pattern for silk, with leaves and flowers in pink, blue, and gold.
  6. 6
    A member of the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot, an infantry regiment in the British Army, active from 1755 to 1881.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Squat and perspiring, with a low pompadour and a thin black mustache, he was inevitably disheveled by evening.
  2. The Donald's strange pompadour and Hillary's strange server have eclipsed all the usual primary permutations.

Etymology

From French Pompadour, after Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764), mistress of Louis XV.

Synonyms

doducktailquiff

This word in other languages

banane(Français)

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 "pompadour"?
"pompadour" is spelled P-O-M-P-A-D-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɒmpədʊə/.
What does "pompadour" mean?
As a noun, "pompadour" means: A women's hairstyle in which the hair is swept upwards from the face and worn high over the forehead.
How do you pronounce "pompadour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pompadour" is /ˈpɒmpədʊə/. 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 "pompadour"?
From French Pompadour, after Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764), mistress of Louis XV. 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 "pompadour", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

prudently#64,636Ptolemaic#64,637Owensboro#64,595ridgeline#64,661

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list