poz

/ˈpɒz/

//ˈpɒz// adj

"poz" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poz” is uncommon English (frequency #99,722 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,722
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - HIV positive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-poz · poz · English

poz · rank #99,722 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #99,722
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Powis

Nearest frequency peer: Powis (-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 “poz”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for poz
PropertyValue
Headwordpoz
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɒz/
Letters3
Frequency rank#99,722
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “poz” 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).pozfalls 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: “Powis” (#99,721), “pratique” (#99,723), “preamplifier” (#99,724). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “poz” is #99,722. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

poz is uncommon English at frequency #99,722 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈpɒz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "HIV positive.".

Zero misspellings are on record for poz in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of positive. The correct English form is poz, spelled P-O-Z.

Definition

  1. 1
    HIV positive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Her test results were poz.
  2. At a contentious public meeting to discuss barebacking in New York in 1999, an interesting statement came from a man who described himself as the manager of the nation's largest moderated bareback computer list. He stated almost in passing that the list was “about 98 percent poz guys.”

Etymology

Clipping of positive.

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 "poz"?
"poz" is spelled P-O-Z. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɒz/.
What does "poz" mean?
As an adjective, "poz" means: HIV positive.
How do you pronounce "poz"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poz" is /ˈpɒz/. 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 "poz"?
Clipping of positive. 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 "poz", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list