postern
/ˈpɒst(ə)n/
"postern" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“postern” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A back gate, back door, side entrance, or other gateway distinct from the main entrance, especially in a city wall or fortification.
Corpus desk
Index EN-postern · postern · English
postern · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | postern |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɒst(ə)n/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “postern” in English
Rare enough to double-check
postern is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɒst(ə)n/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for postern in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French posterne, alteration of posterle, from Late Latin posterula (“back door”), from Latin posterus (“later”). The correct English form is postern, spelled P-O-S-T-E-R-N.
Definition
- 1A back gate, back door, side entrance, or other gateway distinct from the main entrance, especially in a city wall or fortification.
- 2A separate or hidden way in or out of a place, situation etc.
- 3A subterranean passage communicating between the parade and the main ditch, or between the ditches and the interior of the outworks.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how postern appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
And as they cam hurlyng vnder the Castel where as sir launcelot lay in wyndowe / & sawe how two knyghtes layd vpon syr Blyaunt with their swerdes /[…]/ And thenne sir launcelot brake the chaynes fro his legges and of his armes /[…]/ & so sir launcelot ran out at a posterne / and there he mett with the two knyȝtes that chaced sir Blyaunt
He by a privy postern took his flight.
Etymology
From Old French posterne, alteration of posterle, from Late Latin posterula (“back door”), from Latin posterus (“later”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.