potluck
/ˌpɒtˈlʌk/
"potluck" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“potluck” is an uncommon English word, ranked #50,733 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #50,733
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A meal, especially one offered to a guest, consisting of whatever food is available.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | potluck |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌpɒtˈlʌk/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #50,733 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “potluck” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for potluck is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌpɒtˈlʌk/. Corpus data places it at rank #50,733 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for potluck, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From pot + luck. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, sense 3 (“a shared meal consisting of whatever guests have brought”) is unlikely to have been influenced by potlatch even though it has the same meaning. The correct English form is potluck, spelled P-O-T-L-U-C-K.
Definition
- 1A meal, especially one offered to a guest, consisting of whatever food is available.
- 2Whatever is available in a particular situation.
- 3A shared meal consisting of whatever guests have brought (sometimes without prior arrangement); a potlatch; also, a dish of food brought to such a meal.
- 4The last draft or portion of an alcoholic beverage in a pot or other drinking vessel.
Etymology
From pot + luck. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, sense 3 (“a shared meal consisting of whatever guests have brought”) is unlikely to have been influenced by potlatch even though it has the same meaning.
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 “potluck”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-O-T-L-U-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌpɒtˈlʌk/ (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
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.