chagrining

adj

"chagrining" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chagrining” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-chagrining · chagrining · English

chagrining · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" 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 chagrining
PropertyValue
Headwordchagrining
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “chagrining” in English

chagriningranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

chagrining is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Annoying, vexing.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for chagrining, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is chagrining, spelled C-H-A-G-R-I-N-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Annoying, vexing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1780, George Washington, Letter to the President of Congress, in Jared Sparks (ed.), The Writings of George Washington, New York: Harper, 1847, Volume 7, pp. 11-12, Nothing can be conceived more chagrining, than for an officer to see himself destitute of every necessary, while another, not only in the service of the same government, engaged in defending t…
  2. 1789, Robert Burns, Letter to Frances Anna Dunlop, dated January 1789, in William Wallace (ed.), Robert Burns and Mrs. Dunlop, New York: Dodd, Mead, 1898, Volume I, p. 201, No ill-weather in Hay or Harvest ever gave me so chagrining a disappointment.

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 "chagrining"?
"chagrining" is spelled C-H-A-G-R-I-N-I-N-G.
What does "chagrining" mean?
As an adjective, "chagrining" means: Annoying, vexing.
What language does "chagrining" come from?
"chagrining" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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