porteous

/ˈpɔːtɪəs/

//ˈpɔːtɪəs// noun

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

"porteous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“porteous” is uncommon English (frequency #72,663 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,663
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A portable breviary.

Key facts for porteous
PropertyValue
Headwordporteous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɔːtɪəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#72,663
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “porteous” 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). porteous 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

porteous is uncommon English at frequency #72,663 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɔːtɪəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A portable breviary.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for porteous, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman porteose, portehos, Old French portehors, from porte + hors (“outside”). The correct English form is porteous, spelled P-O-R-T-E-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A portable breviary.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman porteose, portehos, Old French portehors, from porte + hors (“outside”).

Synonyms

portuary

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 "porteous"?
"porteous" is spelled P-O-R-T-E-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɔːtɪəs/.
What does "porteous" mean?
As a noun, "porteous" means: A portable breviary.
How do you pronounce "porteous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "porteous" is /ˈpɔːtɪəs/. 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 "porteous"?
From Anglo-Norman porteose, portehos, Old French portehors, from porte + hors (“outside”). 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 “porteous”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-R-T-E-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɔːtɪəs/ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list