porcelain

/ˈpɔːsəlɪn/

//ˈpɔːsəlɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“porcelain” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,785. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,785
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A hard white translucent ceramic, originally made by firing kaolin, quartz, and feldspar at high temperatures but now also inclusive of similar artificial materials; also often (figurative) such a ...

Key facts for porcelain
PropertyValue
Headwordporcelain
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɔːsəlɪn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#13,785
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “porcelain” 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). porcelain lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around porcelain (IPA /ˈpɔːsəlɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,785 among 46,516 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for porcelain, with forms such as "oprcelain", "pocrelain", and "porccelain". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French porcelaine (“cowrie, wampum; china, chinaware”), from Old Italian porcellana (“cowrie; china, chinaware”), from porcella (“female piglet”) + -ana. The material was so called because of its resemblance to the shell of the cowrie. Why the c… The correct English form is porcelain, spelled P-O-R-C-E-L-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hard white translucent ceramic, originally made by firing kaolin, quartz, and feldspar at high temperatures but now also inclusive of similar artificial materials; also often (figurative) such a material as a symbol of the fragility, elegance, etc. traditionally associated with porcelain goods.
  2. 2
    Synonym of china: porcelain tableware.
  3. 3
    Synonym of kaolin: the kind of clay traditionally used in China to manufacture porcelain.
  4. 4
    An object made of porcelain, (particularly) art objects or items of tableware.
  5. 5
    Synonym of cowrie.
  6. 6
    Synonym of wampum: strings of shells, beads, etc. used as ornamentation or currency; the composite shells, beads, etc.
  7. 7
    A kind of pigeon with deep brown and off-white feathers.

Etymology

From Middle French porcelaine (“cowrie, wampum; china, chinaware”), from Old Italian porcellana (“cowrie; china, chinaware”), from porcella (“female piglet”) + -ana. The material was so called because of its resemblance to the shell of the cowrie. Why the cowrie was named with a word meaning “piglet” is unclear.

Synonyms

chinachinaware

This word in other languages

porcelana(Español)porcelaine(Français)Porzellan(Deutsch)porcelana(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oprcelain
  • pocrelain
  • porccelain
  • porcealin
  • porcelainn
  • porcelani
  • porcelian
  • porcellain
  • porcleain
  • poreclain
  • porrcelain
  • pporcelain
  • procelain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oprcelain2pocrelain2porccelain1porcealin2porcelainn1porcelani2porcelian2porcellain1
Edit distance from "porcelain"

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 "porcelain"?
"porcelain" is spelled P-O-R-C-E-L-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɔːsəlɪn/.
What does "porcelain" mean?
As a noun, "porcelain" means: A hard white translucent ceramic, originally made by firing kaolin, quartz, and feldspar at high temperatures but now also inclusive of similar artificial materials; also often (figurative) such a ...
What are common misspellings of "porcelain"?
Common misspellings include "oprcelain", "pocrelain", "porccelain", "porcealin", "porcelainn". The correct spelling is "porcelain".
How do you pronounce "porcelain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "porcelain" is /ˈpɔːsəlɪn/. 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 "porcelain"?
From Middle French porcelaine (“cowrie, wampum; china, chinaware”), from Old Italian porcellana (“cowrie; china, chinaware”), from porcella (“female piglet”) + -ana. The material was so called because of its resemblance to the shell of the cowrie.... 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 “porcelain”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-R-C-E-L-A-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɔːsəlɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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