# poncho

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɒn.tʃəʊ/ · frequency rank #37,630

## Definitions
1. A simple garment, made from a rectangle of cloth, with a slit in the middle for the head.
2. A similar waterproof garment, today typically of rubber with a hood.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish poncho, from Quechua punchu. In sense “rubber rain poncho”, attested 1845, used for non-South American garments in the United States and England from 1850s, popularized by US Western expeditions and military from 1850s, particularly after World War II (1940s).

## Easily confused with
- **punch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poncho-vs-punch)
- **porch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poncho-vs-porch)
- **pouch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poncho-vs-pouch)
- **pooch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poncho-vs-pooch)
- **psycho** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poncho-vs-psycho)
- **punchy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poncho-vs-punchy)
- **pinch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pinch-vs-poncho)
- **ponce** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ponce-vs-poncho)
- **poach** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poach-vs-poncho)

## Common misspellings (9)
`opncho`, `pnocho`, `pocnho`, `ponccho`, `ponchho`, `poncoh`, `ponhco`, `ponncho`, `pponcho`

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