portage

/ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“portage” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #29,043 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#29,043
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An act of carrying, especially the carrying of a boat overland between two waterways.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

portage vs Porte
57% similar
portage vs portal
71% similar
portage vs postage
86% similar

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

Key facts for portage
PropertyValue
Headwordportage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#29,043
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “portage” 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). portage 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 portage is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #29,043 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for portage, with forms such as "oprtage", "poratge", and "porrtage". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Porte", "portal", "postage", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English portage, borrowed from Middle French portage, from Old French portage, from Early Medieval Latin portāticum. By surface analysis, port (“to carry”) + -age. The correct English form is portage, spelled P-O-R-T-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of carrying, especially the carrying of a boat overland between two waterways.
  2. 2
    The route used for such carrying.
  3. 3
    A charge made for carrying something.
  4. 4
    Carrying capacity; tonnage.
  5. 5
    The wages paid to a sailor when in port, or for a voyage.
  6. 6
    A porthole.

Etymology

From Middle English portage, borrowed from Middle French portage, from Old French portage, from Early Medieval Latin portāticum. By surface analysis, port (“to carry”) + -age.

This word in other languages

portage(Français)Portage(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: oprtage,poratge,porrtage,portaeg,portagge,portgae,porttage,potrage,pportage,protage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of portage - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

oprtage2poratge2porrtage1portaeg2portagge1portgae2porttage1potrage2
Edit distance from "portage"

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 "portage"?
"portage" is spelled P-O-R-T-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "portage" mean?
As a noun, "portage" means: An act of carrying, especially the carrying of a boat overland between two waterways.
What words are commonly confused with "portage"?
"portage" is commonly confused with "Porte", "portal", "postage". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "portage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "portage" is /ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "portage"?
From Middle English portage, borrowed from Middle French portage, from Old French portage, from Early Medieval Latin portāticum. By surface analysis, port (“to carry”) + -age. 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 “portage”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-R-T-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Porte” - see the side-by-side comparison. portage vs Porte
  • 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