porthole

/ˈpɔː(ɹ)t.həʊl/

//ˈpɔː(ɹ)t.həʊl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“porthole” is uncommon English (frequency #68,546 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,546
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A gunport; an opening in the hull of a ship through which cannons are fired.

Corpus desk

Index EN-porthole · porthole · English

porthole · rank #68,546 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,546
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Portadown

Nearest frequency peer: Portadown (-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 “porthole”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for porthole
PropertyValue
Headwordporthole
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɔː(ɹ)t.həʊl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#68,546
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “porthole” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).portholefalls 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: “Portadown” (#68,545), “poppet” (#68,543), “predispose” (#68,549). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “porthole” is #68,546. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

porthole is uncommon English at frequency #68,546 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɔː(ɹ)t.həʊl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

porthole doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From port + hole. The correct English form is porthole, spelled P-O-R-T-H-O-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A gunport; an opening in the hull of a ship through which cannons are fired.
  2. 2
    A circular window set in the hull of a ship.

Etymology

From port + hole.

This word in other languages

tronera(Español)hublot(Français)Bullauge(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 "porthole"?
"porthole" is spelled P-O-R-T-H-O-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɔː(ɹ)t.həʊl/.
What does "porthole" mean?
As a noun, "porthole" means: A gunport; an opening in the hull of a ship through which cannons are fired.
How do you pronounce "porthole"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "porthole" is /ˈpɔː(ɹ)t.həʊl/. 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 "porthole"?
From port + hole. 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 "porthole", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

preparer#68,551Plimpton#68,540pirating#68,534pantsuit#68,518

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list