pompano

/ˈpɒmpənəʊ/

//ˈpɒmpənəʊ// noun

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

"pompano" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pompano” is uncommon English (frequency #60,384 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,384
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various carangid fish of genus Trachinotus or species Alectis ciliaris (African pompano), from coastal parts of the North Atlantic.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pompano · pompano · English

pompano · rank #60,384 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,384
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH polyp

Nearest frequency peer: polyp (-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 “pompano”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pompano
PropertyValue
Headwordpompano
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɒmpənəʊ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#60,384
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pompano” in English

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).pompanofalls 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: “polyp” (#60,383), “potpourri” (#60,385), “polycystic” (#60,382). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pompano” is #60,384. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pompano is uncommon English at frequency #60,384 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɒmpənəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for pompano in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Spanish pámpano (“Stromateus fiatola”). Compare pomfret. The correct English form is pompano, spelled P-O-M-P-A-N-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various carangid fish of genus Trachinotus or species Alectis ciliaris (African pompano), from coastal parts of the North Atlantic.
  2. 2
    A Pacific pompano, an edible butterfish of species Peprilus simillimus.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Monsieur Ratignolle was prepared to take things seriously; the mets, the entre-mets, the service, the decorations, even the people. He looked up from his pompano and inquired of Arobin if he were related to the gentleman of that name who formed one of the firm of Laitner and Arobin, lawyers.

Etymology

From Spanish pámpano (“Stromateus fiatola”). Compare pomfret.

This word in other languages

palometa(Español)

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 "pompano"?
"pompano" is spelled P-O-M-P-A-N-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɒmpənəʊ/.
What does "pompano" mean?
As a noun, "pompano" means: Any of various carangid fish of genus Trachinotus or species Alectis ciliaris (African pompano), from coastal parts of the North Atlantic.
How do you pronounce "pompano"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pompano" is /ˈpɒmpənəʊ/. 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 "pompano"?
From Spanish pámpano (“Stromateus fiatola”). Compare pomfret. 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 "pompano", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

probity#60,395Pinkett#60,369Rackham#60,403Pfister#60,363

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list