# ponce

> English word · Noun · IPA /pɒns/ · frequency rank #33,370

## Definitions
1. A man living off another's earnings, especially a woman's.
2. A man living off another's earnings, especially a woman's.
3. Synonym of poof: an effeminate gay man; any similarly effeminate man.

## Etymology
Uncertain, but probably an aphetic form of French alphonse (“kept man”), from the male given name Alphonse. Also sometimes connected to pounce or French pensionnaire (“pensioner, person living without working”).

## Easily confused with
- **pope** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-pope)
- **pose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-pose)
- **pond** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-pond)
- **pony** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-pony)
- **pong** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-pong)
- **Pune** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-pune)
- **pore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-pore)
- **pons** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-pons)
- **price** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-price)
- **punch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-punch)
- **prone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-prone)
- **porch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-porch)
- **pouch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-pouch)
- **Poole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-poole)
- **posse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-posse)
- **Porte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-porte)
- **pooch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-pooch)
- **Ponzi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-ponzi)
- **Ponte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-ponte)
- **prince** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-prince)

## Common misspellings (7)
`opnce`, `pnoce`, `pocne`, `poncce`, `ponec`, `ponnce`, `pponce`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ponce