portent
/ˈpɔɹtənt/
"portent" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“portent” is an uncommon English word, ranked #66,944 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #66,944
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something that portends an event about to occur, especially an unfortunate or evil event; an omen.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | portent |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɔɹtənt/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #66,944 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “portent” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for portent is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɔɹtənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #66,944 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
portent has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin portentum, participle of portendere, from portendō (“I predict, I foretell”). The correct English form is portent, spelled P-O-R-T-E-N-T.
Definition
- 1Something that portends an event about to occur, especially an unfortunate or evil event; an omen.
- 2A portending; significance
- 3Something regarded as portentous; a marvel; prodigy.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin portentum, participle of portendere, from portendō (“I predict, I foretell”).
This word in other languages
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
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Using “portent”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-O-R-T-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɔɹtənt/ (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
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.