chalice

/ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪs/

//ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“chalice” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,866. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,866
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A large drinking cup, often having a stem and base and used especially for formal occasions and religious ceremonies.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chalice · chalice · English

chalice · rank #28,866 · 10 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,866
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH CFL

Nearest frequency peer: CFL (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “chalice”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “chalice” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

chalice vs chance
71% similar
chalice vs choice
71% similar
chalice vs Charlie
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for chalice
PropertyValue
Headwordchalice
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#28,866
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “chalice”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “CFL” (#28,865), “Chas” (#28,867), “Chichester” (#28,868). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chalice” is #28,866. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around chalice (IPA /ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,866 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for chalice, with forms such as "cahlice", "cchalice", and "chailce". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "chance", "choice", "Charlie", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chalis, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French chalice, collateral form of calice, borrowed from Latin calix, calicem (“cup”), of uncertain etymology. In view of Umbrian skalçeta (“sacrifical vessel”), perhaps from a Proto-Italic *(s)kalik-,… The correct English form is chalice, spelled C-H-A-L-I-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large drinking cup, often having a stem and base and used especially for formal occasions and religious ceremonies.
  2. 2
    A kind of water-cooled pipe for smoking cannabis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. [W]e but teach / Bloody Inſtructions, which, being taught, returne / To plague th' Inuentor. This euen-handed Iuſtice / Commends th' Ingredience of our poyſon'd Challice / To our owne lips.

Etymology

From Middle English chalis, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French chalice, collateral form of calice, borrowed from Latin calix, calicem (“cup”), of uncertain etymology. In view of Umbrian skalçeta (“sacrifical vessel”), perhaps from a Proto-Italic *(s)kalik-, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel-. Pokorny considered a parallel formation in Sanskrit कलश (kaláśa-, “(water-)jar, tub, pot, dish”), for Proto-Indo-European *kel-eḱ-, but De Vaan finds this unlikely. Alternatively, borrowed from Ancient Greek κύλιξ (kúlix) or an unattested variant thereof, maybe with contamination from κάλυξ (kálux, “shell, calyx”), but it is also possible that all were borrowed from related substrate words. Possible doublet of calyx and kelch. Compare Sumerian 𒃲(GAL).

This word in other languages

cáliz(Español)calice(Français)Kelch(Deutsch)cálice(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cahlice
  • cchalice
  • chailce
  • chalcie
  • chalicce
  • chaliec
  • challice
  • chhalice
  • chlaice
  • hcalice

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chalice - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cahlice2cchalice1chailce2chalcie2chalicce1chaliec2challice1chhalice1
Edit distance from "chalice"

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 "chalice"?
"chalice" is spelled C-H-A-L-I-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪs/.
What does "chalice" mean?
As a noun, "chalice" means: A large drinking cup, often having a stem and base and used especially for formal occasions and religious ceremonies.
What words are commonly confused with "chalice"?
"chalice" is commonly confused with "chance", "choice", "Charlie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chalice"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chalice" is /ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪs/. 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 "chalice"?
From Middle English chalis, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French chalice, collateral form of calice, borrowed from Latin calix, calicem (“cup”), of uncertain etymology. In view of Umbrian skalçeta (“sacrifical vessel”), perhaps from a Proto-Italic *... 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 "chalice", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

combing#28,873Corinne#28,881bravest#28,850blister#28,840

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

encased10 variantsgelatin10 variantshandout10 variantsheretic10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list