poor

/pʊɚ/

//pʊɚ// adj

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

"poor" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poor” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #855 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#855
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - With no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

poor vs PR
0% similar
poor vs pro
50% similar
poor vs pop
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for poor
PropertyValue
Headwordpoor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pʊɚ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#855
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “poor” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for poor is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pʊɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #855 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for poor, with forms such as "opor", "poorr", and "por". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PR", "pro", "pop", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English povre, povere, from Old French (and Anglo-Norman) povre, poure, from Latin pauper, from Old Latin *pavo-pars (literally “getting little”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”). Doublet of pauper. Displaced native arm… The correct English form is poor, spelled P-O-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    With no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them.
  2. 2
    Of low quality.
  3. 3
    Worthy of pity.
  4. 4
    Deficient in a specified way.
  5. 5
    Inadequate, insufficient.
  6. 6
    Free from self-assertion; not proud or arrogant; meek.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English povre, povere, from Old French (and Anglo-Norman) povre, poure, from Latin pauper, from Old Latin *pavo-pars (literally “getting little”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”). Doublet of pauper. Displaced native arm, wantsome, Middle English unlede (“poor”) (from Old English unlǣde), Middle English unweli, unwely (“poor, unwealthy”) (from Old English un- + weliġ (“well-to-do, prosperous, rich”)).

This word in other languages

mishio(Español)pauvre(Français)arm(Deutsch)pobre(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: opor,poorr,por,poro,ppoor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of poor - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

opor2poorr1por1poro2ppoor1
Edit distance from "poor"

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 "poor"?
"poor" is spelled P-O-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /pʊɚ/.
What does "poor" mean?
As an adjective, "poor" means: With no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them.
What words are commonly confused with "poor"?
"poor" is commonly confused with "PR", "pro", "pop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poor" is /pʊɚ/. 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 "poor"?
Inherited from Middle English povre, povere, from Old French (and Anglo-Norman) povre, poure, from Latin pauper, from Old Latin *pavo-pars (literally “getting little”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”). Doublet of pauper. Displaced ... 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.

Using “poor”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pʊɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “PR” - see the side-by-side comparison. poor vs PR
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list