posh
/pɑʃ/adjective, interjection, verb, noun
posh is spelled P-O-S-H: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,122nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, posh means “Associated with the upper classes” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in posh?
| Letters | 4: P-O-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.5 times per million words; the 17,122nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is posh?
Posh appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,122nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce posh?
- US /pɑʃ/
- UK /pɒʃ/
- UK /pəʊʃ/
Posh has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-posh.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with posh?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as posh from its last stressed vowel (/ɑʃ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: shop, soph.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of posh
- posher comparative
- more posh comparative
- poshest superlative
- most posh superlative
- poshes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- poshing participle, present
- poshed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does posh mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Associated with the upper classes.
She talks with a posh accent.
- 2
Stylish; elegant; exclusive; luxurious; expensive.
Near-synonym: plush
- 3
ScotlandoffensiveSnobbish, materialistic, prejudiced, under the illusion that one is better than everyone else.
We have a right posh git moving in next door.
interjection
- 1
An exclamation expressing derision.
verb
- 1
To make posh or posher (more posh).
noun
- 1
A sudden and heavy fall or gush of rain or water.
Did yer see what a posh the water came down the bruck ater the thaw, and no wonder the snow was a fut deep.
- 2
Fragments produced by an impact.
- 3
Slush.
- 4
UKobsoleteslangA halfpenny or other coin of little value.
- 5
UKobsoleteslangMoney.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Posh in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | huppé, bourge, bobo , chic |
| German | vornehm , schick, todschick |
| Spanish | pijo, fresa, pituco, cheto, fifí, fichudo |
| Portuguese | chique , esnobe |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does posh come from?
Unknown. Most likely derived from Romani posh (“half”), either because posh-kooroona (“half a crown”) (originally a substantial sum of money) was used metaphorically for anything pricey or upper-class, or because posh-houri (“half-penny”) came to refer to money generally. A period slang dictionary defines "posh" as a term used by thieves for "money : generic, but specifically, a halfpenny or other small coin". An example is given from James Payn's The Eavesdropper (1888): "They used such funny terms: 'brads,' and 'dibbs,' and 'mopusses,' and 'posh' ...
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).