potlatch
/ˈpɒtlætʃ/
"potlatch" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“potlatch” is uncommon English (frequency #89,784 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #89,784
- frequency rank, English
- 46,516
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A ceremony amongst certain indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest in which gifts are bestowed upon guests and personal property is destroyed in a show of generosity and wealth.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | potlatch |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɒtlætʃ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #89,784 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “potlatch” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
potlatch is uncommon English at frequency #89,784 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɒtlætʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for potlatch, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is borrowed from Chinook Jargon potlatch, pátlač (“to give; gift; gift-giving ceremony, potlatch”), from Nootka Jargon pa'chatle, pa'chēētle, pah-chilt (“to give, give me”), from Nootka p̕ačiƛ (“to give a gift during a potlatch ceremony”). Sense 1 … The correct English form is potlatch, spelled P-O-T-L-A-T-C-H.
Definition
- 1A ceremony amongst certain indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest in which gifts are bestowed upon guests and personal property is destroyed in a show of generosity and wealth.
- 2A communal meal to which guests bring dishes to share; a potluck.
Etymology
The noun is borrowed from Chinook Jargon potlatch, pátlač (“to give; gift; gift-giving ceremony, potlatch”), from Nootka Jargon pa'chatle, pa'chēētle, pah-chilt (“to give, give me”), from Nootka p̕ačiƛ (“to give a gift during a potlatch ceremony”). Sense 1 of the verb (“to give; especially, to give a gift during a potlatch ceremony”) is borrowed from Chinook Jargon potlatch, pátlač (see above); sense 2 (“to carry out or take part in a potlatch ceremony”) is derived from the noun.
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
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Using “potlatch”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-O-T-L-A-T-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɒtlætʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.