portray

/pɔːˈtɹeɪ/

//pɔːˈtɹeɪ// verb

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

"portray" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“portray” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,477. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,477
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To paint or draw the likeness of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-portray · portray · English

portray · rank #12,477 · 11 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,477
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH podium

Nearest frequency peer: podium (-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 “portray”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “portray” 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).

portray vs portrayal
78% similar
portray vs porta
71% similar
portray vs poetry
71% similar

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

Key facts for portray
PropertyValue
Headwordportray
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɔːˈtɹeɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,477
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “portray”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).portraylands 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 “podium” (#12,476), “practitioner” (#12,478), “plead” (#12,475). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “portray” is #12,477. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around portray (IPA /pɔːˈtɹeɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #12,477 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for portray, with forms such as "oprtray", "porrtay", and "porrtray". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "portrayal", "porta", "poetry", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English portray, from Middle French portraire. The correct English form is portray, spelled P-O-R-T-R-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To paint or draw the likeness of.
  2. 2
    To represent by an image or look.
  3. 3
    To describe in words; to convey.
  4. 4
    To play a role; to depict a character, person, situation, or event.
  5. 5
    To adorn.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I will portray a king on horseback.
  2. Upon his browes was pourtraid vgly death, And in his eies the furies of his heart, That ſhine as Comets, menacing reueng, And caſts a pale complexion on his cheeks.

Etymology

From Middle English portray, from Middle French portraire.

This word in other languages

retratar(Español)dépeindre(Français)porträtieren(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oprtray
  • porrtay
  • porrtray
  • portary
  • portrayy
  • portrray
  • portrya
  • porttray
  • potrray
  • pportray
  • protray

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of portray - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

oprtray2porrtay2porrtray1portary2portrayy1portrray1portrya2porttray1
Edit distance from "portray"

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 "portray"?
"portray" is spelled P-O-R-T-R-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pɔːˈtɹeɪ/.
What does "portray" mean?
As a verb, "portray" means: To paint or draw the likeness of.
What words are commonly confused with "portray"?
"portray" is commonly confused with "portrayal", "porta", "poetry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "portray"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "portray" is /pɔːˈtɹeɪ/. 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 "portray"?
From Middle English portray, from Middle French portraire. 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 "portray", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Pradesh#12,479paradox#12,471refrain#12,486morally#12,462

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

periodic11 variantsmaximize11 variantsscaling11 variantsleftist11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list