China

[ˈçiːna]

/[ˈçiːna]/ name

The verdict

“China” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #1,070 in German word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#1,070
frequency rank, German
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Staat in Ostasien

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

China vs CIA
20% similar
China vs Chip
60% similar
China vs coin
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for China
PropertyValue
HeadwordChina
LanguageGerman
Part of speechProper noun
IPA[ˈçiːna]
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,070
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “China” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). China lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for China is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈçiːna]. Corpus data places it at rank #1,070 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for China, with forms such as "cchina", "chhina", and "chian". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CIA", "Chip", "coin", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is China, spelled C-H-I-N-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Staat in Ostasien
  2. 2
    die Republik China; heute ist der Staat dieses Namens als Taiwan bekannt
  3. 3
    zusammenfassende Bezeichnung für das Gebiet von [1] und [2]
  4. 4
    das Kaiserreich China

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchina,chhina,chian,chinna,chnia,cihna,hcina

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of China - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cchina1chhina1chian2chinna1chnia2cihna2hcina2
Edit distance from "China"

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "China"?
"China" is spelled C-H-I-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈçiːna].
What does "China" mean?
As a proper noun, "China" means: Staat in Ostasien
What words are commonly confused with "China"?
"China" is commonly confused with "CIA", "Chip", "coin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "China"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "China" is [ˈçiːna]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "China" come from?
"China" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “China”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is C-H-I-N-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈçiːna] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “CIA” - see the side-by-side comparison. China vs CIA
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list