portage
/ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/noun, verb
portage is spelled P-O-R-T-A-G-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Portage, the name). As a noun, portage means “An act of carrying, especially the carrying of a boat overland between two waterways” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of portage is portages.
How many letters and syllables are in portage?
| Letters | 7: P-O-R-T-A-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is portage?
Portage appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Portage, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce portage?
- /ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/
- Canada /pɔːrˈtɑːʒ/
Portage has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-portage.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with portage?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as portage.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: potager.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of portage
- portages plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- portaging participle, present
- portaged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does portage mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An act of carrying, especially the carrying of a boat overland between two waterways.
- 2
The route used for such carrying.
- 3
A charge made for carrying something.
- 4
Carrying capacity; tonnage.
- 5
The wages paid to a sailor when in port, or for a voyage.
- 6
A porthole.
verb
- 1
To carry a boat overland.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Portage in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense route used for portage:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | portage |
| German | Portage, Umtragung, Umtragungsstrecke |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does portage come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).