pothole

noun

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

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

The verdict

“pothole” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #41,316 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#41,316
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A shallow pit or other edged depression in a road's surface, especially when caused by erosion by weather or traffic.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pothole vs Poole
57% similar
pothole vs potable
71% similar

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

Key facts for pothole
PropertyValue
Headwordpothole
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#41,316
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pothole” 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). pothole 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 pothole is 7 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #41,316 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for pothole, with forms such as "opthole", "pohtole", and "pothhole". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Poole", "potable", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dialectal pot (“pit, hollow, cavity”) + hole. The "cave" senses, attested since at least 1809 (as pot-hole), may be from Middle English pot, potte (“a deep hole for a mine, or from peat-digging”), of uncertain origin; perhaps related to English pit, po… The correct English form is pothole, spelled P-O-T-H-O-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A shallow pit or other edged depression in a road's surface, especially when caused by erosion by weather or traffic.
  2. 2
    A pit formed in the bed of a turbulent stream.
  3. 3
    A vertical cave system, often found in limestone.
  4. 4
    A pit resulting from unauthorized excavation by treasure-hunters or vandals.
  5. 5
    A shallow hole dug for the purpose of prospecting for opal or gold.
  6. 6
    A hyperlink with text displayed on a page that is different from the title of the page to which the text links; a piped link.

Etymology

From dialectal pot (“pit, hollow, cavity”) + hole. The "cave" senses, attested since at least 1809 (as pot-hole), may be from Middle English pot, potte (“a deep hole for a mine, or from peat-digging”), of uncertain origin; perhaps related to English pit, pote, or pot. Compare Scots pott, patt (“a pit dug in the ground; coalpit”).

Synonyms

giant kettle

This word in other languages

bache(Español)nid de poule(Français)Schlagloch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: opthole,pohtole,pothhole,pothloe,pothoel,potholle,potohle,potthole,ppothole,ptohole

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opthole2pohtole2pothhole1pothloe2pothoel2potholle1potohle2potthole1
Edit distance from "pothole"

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 "pothole"?
"pothole" is spelled P-O-T-H-O-L-E.
What does "pothole" mean?
As a noun, "pothole" means: A shallow pit or other edged depression in a road's surface, especially when caused by erosion by weather or traffic.
What words are commonly confused with "pothole"?
"pothole" is commonly confused with "Poole", "potable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "pothole"?
From dialectal pot (“pit, hollow, cavity”) + hole. The "cave" senses, attested since at least 1809 (as pot-hole), may be from Middle English pot, potte (“a deep hole for a mine, or from peat-digging”), of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Engli... 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 “pothole”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-T-H-O-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “Poole” - see the side-by-side comparison. pothole vs Poole
  • 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