potpourri

/ˌpəʊ.pəˈɹiː/

//ˌpəʊ.pəˈɹiː// noun

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

"potpourri" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“potpourri” is uncommon English (frequency #60,385 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,385
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A collection of various things; an assortment, mixed bag or motley.

Corpus desk

Index EN-potpourri · potpourri · English

potpourri · rank #60,385 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,385
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pompano

Nearest frequency peer: pompano (-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 “potpourri”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for potpourri
PropertyValue
Headwordpotpourri
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌpəʊ.pəˈɹiː/
Letters9
Frequency rank#60,385
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “potpourri” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).potpourrifalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “pompano” (#60,384), “polyp” (#60,383), “prance” (#60,387). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “potpourri” is #60,385. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

potpourri is uncommon English at frequency #60,385 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌpəʊ.pəˈɹiː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for potpourri, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French pot-pourri (“stew, potpourri”), a calque of Spanish olla podrida (“stew”, literally “rotten pot”). Doublet of olla podrida. The correct English form is potpourri, spelled P-O-T-P-O-U-R-R-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    A collection of various things; an assortment, mixed bag or motley.
  2. 2
    An anthology of miscellaneous prose.
  3. 3
    A medley of songs or music.
  4. 4
    A mixture of dried fragrant plant material, often in a decorative bowl, used to scent a room.
  5. 5
    A ragout or stew of meat and vegetables.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A convention of sorts, the evening was an exciting potpourri of education, entertainment and political consciousness.

Etymology

From French pot-pourri (“stew, potpourri”), a calque of Spanish olla podrida (“stew”, literally “rotten pot”). Doublet of olla podrida.

This word in other languages

pot-pourri(Français)Potpourri(Deutsch)

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 "potpourri"?
"potpourri" is spelled P-O-T-P-O-U-R-R-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpəʊ.pəˈɹiː/.
What does "potpourri" mean?
As a noun, "potpourri" means: A collection of various things; an assortment, mixed bag or motley.
How do you pronounce "potpourri"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "potpourri" is /ˌpəʊ.pəˈɹiː/. 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 "potpourri"?
From French pot-pourri (“stew, potpourri”), a calque of Spanish olla podrida (“stew”, literally “rotten pot”). Doublet of olla podrida. 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 "potpourri", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

preheated#60,390proboscis#60,396rapacious#60,407Rehnquist#60,414

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list