potbelly

noun

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

The verdict

“potbelly” is an uncommon English word, ranked #95,291 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#95,291
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large, protruding, or swollen abdomen; a paunch.

Key facts for potbelly
PropertyValue
Headwordpotbelly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#95,291
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “potbelly” sits in English frequency

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for potbelly is 8 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #95,291 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

potbelly has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From pot + belly. The correct English form is potbelly, spelled P-O-T-B-E-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large, protruding, or swollen abdomen; a paunch.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of potbelly stove.
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of Vietnamese pot-bellied pig.

Etymology

From pot + belly.

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); 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 "potbelly"?
"potbelly" is spelled P-O-T-B-E-L-L-Y.
What does "potbelly" mean?
As a noun, "potbelly" means: A large, protruding, or swollen abdomen; a paunch.
What is the origin of the word "potbelly"?
From pot + belly. 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.

Using “potbelly”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-T-B-E-L-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list