# chair

> English word · Noun · IPA /t͡ʃɛə/ · frequency rank #2,067

## Definitions
1. An item of furniture used to sit on or in, comprising a seat, legs or wheels, back, and sometimes arm rests, for use by one person.
2. Clipping of chairperson.
3. The post or position of chairperson.
4. The seating position of a particular musician in an orchestra.
5. A cast-iron component used on railways to support bullhead rails and secure them to the sleepers.
6. One of two possible conformers of cyclohexane rings (the other being boat), shaped roughly like a chair.
7. Ellipsis of electric chair (“device used for performing execution”).
8. A distinguished professorship at a university.
9. A vehicle for one person; either a sedan borne upon poles, or a two-wheeled carriage drawn by one horse; a gig.
10. The seat or office of a person in authority, such as a judge or bishop.
11. An assigned position in a beauty salon or barbershop.

## Etymology
From Middle English chayer, chaire, chaiere, chaere, chayre, chayere, from Old French chaiere, chaere, from Latin cathedra (“seat”), from Ancient Greek καθέδρα (kathédra), from κατά (katá, “down”) + ἕδρα (hédra, “seat”). Partially displaced native stool and settle, which now have more specialised senses. Doublet of cathedra and chaise.

## Easily confused with
- **chi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chi)
- **CHR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chr)
- **chat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chat)
- **chip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chip)
- **chan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chan)
- **chin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chin)
- **chic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chic)
- **chap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chap)
- **Choi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-choi)
- **char** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-char)
- **Cher** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-cher)
- **Chao** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chao)
- **chia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chia)
- **chit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chit)
- **Chas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chas)
- **czar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-czar)
- **Chiu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chiu)
- **Chaz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chaz)
- **cham** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-cham)
- **Chau** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chair-vs-chau)

## Common misspellings (7)
`cahir`, `cchair`, `chairr`, `chari`, `chhair`, `chiar`, `hcair`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/chair