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 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,663
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A portable breviary.

Corpus desk

Index EN-porteous · porteous · English

porteous · rank #72,663 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,663
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH popularization

Nearest frequency peer: popularization (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “porteous”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “porteous” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for porteous
PropertyValue
Headwordporteous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɔːtɪəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#72,663
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “porteous” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).porteousfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “popularization” (#72,662), “Pookie” (#72,661), “polluter” (#72,660). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “porteous” is #72,663. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

porteous is uncommon English at frequency #72,663 among 4,417 “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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how porteous appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. And in his hand his Portesse still he bare, / That much was worne, but therein little red, / For of deuotion he had little care [...].

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "porteous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

polluter#72,660Playfair#72,656playdate#72,655Pressley#72,671

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list