Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

potter

/ˈpɑtɚ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.11 in modern English

Syllables
pot-ter
IPA
/ˈpɑtɚ/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One who makes pots and other ceramic wares.

noun

One who places flowers or other plants inside their pots.

noun

One who pots meats or other eatables.

noun

One who hawks crockery or earthenware.

noun

The chicken turtle, Deirochelys reticularia.

verb

To act in a vague or unmotivated way; to fuss about with unimportant things.

British usage

verb

To move slowly or aimlessly. (Often potter about, potter around.)

British usage

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English pottere, from Old English pottere (“potter”, in placenames), from Proto-West Germanic *pottārī (“pot-maker”), equivalent to pot + -er. Influenced by Anglo-Norman poter, Old French potier (“potter”). Cognate with Dutch potter (“potter”), German Low German Pötter, Pütter (“potter”). Displaced Old English synonyms lāmwyrhta (“a worker in clay, potter”, literally “loam-worker”), tiġelwyrhta (“brickmaker, potter”, literally “tile-worker”), crocwyrhta (“crocker, potter”, literally “crock-worker”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈpɑtɚ/
  • British English: /ˈpɒtə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce potter?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɑtɚ/.
What does potter mean?
One who makes pots and other ceramic wares.
Where does potter come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce potter

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “potter”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɑtɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “potter”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “potter” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.