potter's field

noun

"potter-s-field" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“potter's field” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A public place where strangers, paupers, and criminals are buried.

Corpus desk

Index EN-potter-s-field · potter's field · English

potter's field · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for potter's field
PropertyValue
Headwordpotter's field
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “potter's field” in English

potter's fieldsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

potter's field is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A public place where strangers, paupers, and criminals are buried.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for potter's field, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: This phrase derives from the reference to the potter's field in the New Testament, Matthew 27:7. After Judas Iscariot committed suicide and left the 30 pieces of silver from betraying Jesus, the chief priest use the money to purchase a potter's field to bur… The correct English form is potter's field, spelled P-O-T-T-E-R-'-S- -F-I-E-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A public place where strangers, paupers, and criminals are buried.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The despised pauper, most likely a foreigner, when his spirit has gone to its final resting-place, is probably carried to the Potter's Field.
  2. There was a Potter's Field, a cemetery for the poor and friendless, far out in the country.

Etymology

This phrase derives from the reference to the potter's field in the New Testament, Matthew 27:7. After Judas Iscariot committed suicide and left the 30 pieces of silver from betraying Jesus, the chief priest use the money to purchase a potter's field to bury gentiles.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "potter's field"?
"potter's field" is spelled P-O-T-T-E-R-'-S- -F-I-E-L-D.
What does "potter's field" mean?
As a noun, "potter's field" means: A public place where strangers, paupers, and criminals are buried.
What is the origin of the word "potter's field"?
This phrase derives from the reference to the potter's field in the New Testament, Matthew 27:7. After Judas Iscariot committed suicide and left the 30 pieces of silver from betraying Jesus, the chief priest use the money to purchase a potter's fi... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
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Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list