portrait

/ˈpɔːtɹeɪt/

//ˈpɔːtɹeɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“portrait” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,974. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,974
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A painting or other picture of a person, especially the head and shoulders.

Corpus desk

Index EN-portrait · portrait · English

portrait · rank #4,974 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,974
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pleasant

Nearest frequency peer: pleasant (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “portrait”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “portrait” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

portrait vs portray
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for portrait
PropertyValue
Headwordportrait
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɔːtɹeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#4,974
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “portrait”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).portraitlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “pleasant” (#4,973), “productive” (#4,975), “plates” (#4,972). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “portrait” is #4,974. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around portrait (IPA /ˈpɔːtɹeɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,974 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for portrait, with forms such as "oprtrait", "porrtait", and "porrtrait". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "portray", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French portraict, pourtraict, nominal use of the past participle of portraire (“portray”), from Latin prōtrahō (< prō- + trahō). Compare typologically English drawing. The correct English form is portrait, spelled P-O-R-T-R-A-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A painting or other picture of a person, especially the head and shoulders.
  2. 2
    An accurate depiction of a person, a mood, etc.
  3. 3
    A print orientation where the vertical sides are longer than the horizontal sides.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In portraits, the grace, and, we may add, the likeness, consists more in the general air than in the exact similitude of every feature.
  2. The author painted a good portrait of urban life in New York in his latest book.

Etymology

From Middle French portraict, pourtraict, nominal use of the past participle of portraire (“portray”), from Latin prōtrahō (< prō- + trahō). Compare typologically English drawing.

Antonyms

landscapeprofile

This word in other languages

retrato(Español)portrait(Français)Portrait(Deutsch)retrato(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oprtrait
  • porrtait
  • porrtrait
  • portarit
  • portraitt
  • portrati
  • portriat
  • portrrait
  • porttrait
  • potrrait
  • pportrait
  • protrait

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of portrait - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

oprtrait2porrtait2porrtrait1portarit2portraitt1portrati2portriat2portrrait1
Edit distance from "portrait"

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 "portrait"?
"portrait" is spelled P-O-R-T-R-A-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɔːtɹeɪt/.
What does "portrait" mean?
As a noun, "portrait" means: A painting or other picture of a person, especially the head and shoulders.
What words are commonly confused with "portrait"?
"portrait" is commonly confused with "portray". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "portrait"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "portrait" is /ˈpɔːtɹeɪt/. 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 "portrait"?
From Middle French portraict, pourtraict, nominal use of the past participle of portraire (“portray”), from Latin prōtrahō (< prō- + trahō). Compare typologically English drawing. 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 "portrait", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

pleasant#4,973reserves#4,977targeted#4,986Thailand#4,988

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

touching12 variantsholidays12 variantshandsome12 variantsemployer12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list