# porter

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɔɹtɚ/ · frequency rank #7,375

## Definitions
1. A person who carries luggage and related objects.
2. An ant having the specialized role of carrying.
3. One who ports software (makes it usable on another platform).

## Etymology
From Middle English porter, portere, portier, borrowed from Anglo-Norman portour and Old French porteor, from Late Latin portātor, from past participle of Latin portāre (“to carry”). By surface analysis, port (“to carry”) + -er.

## Easily confused with
- **power** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-power)
- **ports** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-ports)
- **Porto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-porto)
- **poser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-poser)
- **posted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-posted)
- **powder** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-powder)
- **poster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-poster)
- **potter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-potter)
- **punter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-punter)
- **potted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-potted)
- **putter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-putter)
- **Portia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-portia)
- **Posner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-posner)
- **pottery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-pottery)
- **potters** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/porter-vs-potters)
- **port** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/port-vs-porter)
- **pore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pore-vs-porter)
- **Peter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peter-vs-porter)
- **poker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poker-vs-porter)
- **pores** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pores-vs-porter)

## Common misspellings (9)
`oprter`, `poretr`, `porrter`, `porterr`, `portre`, `portter`, `potrer`, `pporter`, `proter`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/porter