bok choy

/ˌbɒkˈt͡ʃɔɪ/

//ˌbɒkˈt͡ʃɔɪ// noun

"bok-choy" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Chinese cabbage, Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis, an East Asian leafy vegetable related to the Western cabbage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bok-choy · bok choy · English

bok choy · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" 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 bok choy
PropertyValue
Headwordbok choy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌbɒkˈt͡ʃɔɪ/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bok choy” in English

bok choysits 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

bok choy is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌbɒkˈt͡ʃɔɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Chinese cabbage, Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis, an East Asian leafy vegetable related to the Western cabbage.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for bok choy in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Cantonese 白菜 (baak⁶ coi³, “white vegetable”). Doublet of pechay. The correct English form is bok choy, spelled B-O-K- -C-H-O-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Chinese cabbage, Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis, an East Asian leafy vegetable related to the Western cabbage.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A new highway near Hong Kong has the right-of-way where a farmer now squeezes in a patch of bok choy. In the past decade development has overrun much of China's arable land.

Etymology

Borrowed from Cantonese 白菜 (baak⁶ coi³, “white vegetable”). Doublet of pechay.

Synonyms

Chinese chardChinese mustardcelery mustardspoon cabbage

This word in other languages

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 "bok choy"?
"bok choy" is spelled B-O-K- -C-H-O-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌbɒkˈt͡ʃɔɪ/.
What does "bok choy" mean?
As a noun, "bok choy" means: Chinese cabbage, Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis, an East Asian leafy vegetable related to the Western cabbage.
How do you pronounce "bok choy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bok choy" is /ˌbɒkˈt͡ʃɔɪ/. 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 "bok choy"?
Borrowed from Cantonese 白菜 (baak⁶ coi³, “white vegetable”). Doublet of pechay. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list