potshot
noun, verb
potshot is spelled P-O-T-S-H-O-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 22 million words in written English, the 141,699th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, potshot means “A shot taken at an easy or random target” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of potshot is potshots.
How many letters and syllables are in potshot?
| Letters | 7: P-O-T-S-H-O-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 22 million words; the 141,699th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is potshot?
Potshot appears about once in every 22 million words in written English, the 141,699th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce potshot?
Potshot has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with potshot?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as potshot.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: hotspot.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of potshot
- potshots plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pot shot
- pot-shot
- potshotting participle, present
- potshotted participle, past
- more potshot comparative
- most potshot superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does potshot mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A shot taken at an easy or random target.
to take a potshot at
- 2
Criticism of an easy target; a cheap shot.
verb
- 1
To fire potshots.
- 2
simple past and past participle of potshoot
adjective
- 1
obsoleteslangDrunk.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Potshot in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Schuss aufs Geratewohl , Seitenhieb , drauflosballern |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does potshot come from?
From pot + shot. 1858, shot taken for the (cooking) pot, namely for food; see pothunter. Sense “opportunistic criticism” from 1926. Sense “drunk” from obsolete pot (“cup used for drinking liquor”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).