portentous

/pɔː(ɹ)ˈtɛntəs/

//pɔː(ɹ)ˈtɛntəs// adj

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

"portentous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“portentous” is uncommon English (frequency #80,768 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,768
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of momentous or ominous significance.

Key facts for portentous
PropertyValue
Headwordportentous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɔː(ɹ)ˈtɛntəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#80,768
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “portentous” 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). portentous lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

portentous is uncommon English at frequency #80,768 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /pɔː(ɹ)ˈtɛntəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for portentous, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Of multiple origins: * Borrowed from Latin portentōsus, from portentus (“predicted”) + -ōsus. Compare earlier portentuous (via Middle English from Latin portentuōsus). By surface analysis, portent + -ous. * Borrowed from French portentueux The correct English form is portentous, spelled P-O-R-T-E-N-T-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of momentous or ominous significance.
  2. 2
    Ominously prophetic.
  3. 3
    Puffed up with vanity.

Etymology

Of multiple origins: * Borrowed from Latin portentōsus, from portentus (“predicted”) + -ōsus. Compare earlier portentuous (via Middle English from Latin portentuōsus). By surface analysis, portent + -ous. * Borrowed from French portentueux

Synonyms

fatefulpropheticsignificant

Antonyms

humbleinsignificanttrivialunremarkable

This word in other languages

portentoso(Español)bedeutungsschwer(Deutsch)

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 "portentous"?
"portentous" is spelled P-O-R-T-E-N-T-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /pɔː(ɹ)ˈtɛntəs/.
What does "portentous" mean?
As an adjective, "portentous" means: Of momentous or ominous significance.
How do you pronounce "portentous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "portentous" is /pɔː(ɹ)ˈtɛntəs/. 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 "portentous"?
Of multiple origins: * Borrowed from Latin portentōsus, from portentus (“predicted”) + -ōsus. Compare earlier portentuous (via Middle English from Latin portentuōsus). By surface analysis, portent + -ous. * Borrowed from French portentueux 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 “portentous”

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-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɔː(ɹ)ˈtɛntəs/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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