chafe
/t͡ʃeɪf/
"chafe" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“chafe” is an uncommon English word, ranked #59,270 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #59,270
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Heat excited by friction.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | chafe |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /t͡ʃeɪf/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #59,270 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “chafe” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for chafe is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /t͡ʃeɪf/. Corpus data places it at rank #59,270 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for chafe in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chaufen (“to warm”), borrowed from Old French chaufer (modern French chauffer), from Latin calefacere, calfacere (“to make warm”), from calere (“to be warm”) + facere (“to make”). See caldron. The correct English form is chafe, spelled C-H-A-F-E.
Definition
- 1Heat excited by friction.
- 2Injury or wear caused by friction.
- 3Vexation; irritation of mind; rage.
Etymology
From Middle English chaufen (“to warm”), borrowed from Old French chaufer (modern French chauffer), from Latin calefacere, calfacere (“to make warm”), from calere (“to be warm”) + facere (“to make”). See caldron.
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); 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 "chafe"?
What does "chafe" mean?
How do you pronounce "chafe"?
What is the origin of the word "chafe"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “chafe”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-H-A-F-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /t͡ʃeɪf/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.