potlatch

/ˈpɒtlætʃ/

//ˈpɒtlætʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“potlatch” is uncommon English (frequency #89,784 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,784
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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.

Corpus desk

Index EN-potlatch · potlatch · English

potlatch · rank #89,784 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,784
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH postgrad

Nearest frequency peer: postgrad (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “potlatch”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “potlatch” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for potlatch
PropertyValue
Headwordpotlatch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɒtlætʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#89,784
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “potlatch” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “postgrad” (#89,783), “possessiveness” (#89,782), “Portola” (#89,780). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “potlatch” is #89,784. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

potlatch is uncommon English at frequency #89,784 among 4,417 “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

  1. 1
    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.
  2. 2
    A communal meal to which guests bring dishes to share; a potluck.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how potlatch appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. First, the Indian himself is to be sought out; then the horse is to be tried; next the price is to be discussed, then the mode of payment, and finally the potlatch: each and all are matters of grave consideration and delay, during which the Indians make a business of watching every circumstance of which they can take advantage. No one can be sure of closi…
  2. The end of all this scraping and hoarding is to give away the property again at some potlatch, at which in a few hours the labour of years will be dissipated. The feasts are often given by the chief men of small tribes as a sort of peace-offering to more powerful ones; but most frequently they are looked upon in the light of gratifying the vanity of the g…

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

kermés(Español)potlatch(Français)

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 "potlatch"?
"potlatch" is spelled P-O-T-L-A-T-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɒtlætʃ/.
What does "potlatch" mean?
As a noun, "potlatch" means: 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.
How do you pronounce "potlatch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "potlatch" is /ˈpɒtlætʃ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "potlatch"?
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”)... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "potlatch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

postgrad#89,783prejudge#89,790pomodoro#89,777pleurisy#89,775

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list