chalcedony

/kælˈsɛd.ə.ni/

//kælˈsɛd.ə.ni// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“chalcedony” is uncommon English (frequency #86,127 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#86,127
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A form of fine-grained quartz that is nearly transparent or has a milky translucence; it fractures conchoidally.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chalcedony · chalcedony · English

chalcedony · rank #86,127 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #86,127
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Chalcedon

Nearest frequency peer: Chalcedon (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “chalcedony”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “chalcedony” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for chalcedony
PropertyValue
Headwordchalcedony
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kælˈsɛd.ə.ni/
Letters10
Frequency rank#86,127
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “chalcedony” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Chalcedon” (#86,126), “Chancellorsville” (#86,128), “Chahal” (#86,125). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chalcedony” is #86,127. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

chalcedony is uncommon English at frequency #86,127 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kælˈsɛd.ə.ni/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A form of fine-grained quartz that is nearly transparent or has a milky translucence; it fractures conchoidally.".

chalcedony doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin chalcēdōnius, from Ancient Greek χαλκηδόνιος (khalkēdónios), from Ancient Greek χαλκηδών (khalkēdṓn), cognate to Arabic كَرْكَنْد (karkand). The correct English form is chalcedony, spelled C-H-A-L-C-E-D-O-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A form of fine-grained quartz that is nearly transparent or has a milky translucence; it fractures conchoidally.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin chalcēdōnius, from Ancient Greek χαλκηδόνιος (khalkēdónios), from Ancient Greek χαλκηδών (khalkēdṓn), cognate to Arabic كَرْكَنْد (karkand).

Synonyms

chalcedonite

This word in other languages

calcedonia(Español)calcédoine(Français)

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 "chalcedony"?
"chalcedony" is spelled C-H-A-L-C-E-D-O-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /kælˈsɛd.ə.ni/.
What does "chalcedony" mean?
As a noun, "chalcedony" means: A form of fine-grained quartz that is nearly transparent or has a milky translucence; it fractures conchoidally.
How do you pronounce "chalcedony"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chalcedony" is /kælˈsɛd.ə.ni/. 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 "chalcedony"?
Borrowed from Latin chalcēdōnius, from Ancient Greek χαλκηδόνιος (khalkēdónios), from Ancient Greek χαλκηδών (khalkēdṓn), cognate to Arabic كَرْكَنْد (karkand). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "chalcedony", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cephalopod#86,123binational#86,069debasement#86,194doubletree#86,225

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list