challah

/ˈxɑ(ː).lə/

//ˈxɑ(ː).lə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“challah” is uncommon English (frequency #89,215 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,215
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov.

Corpus desk

Index EN-challah · challah · English

challah · rank #89,215 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,215
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cerezo

Nearest frequency peer: Cerezo (-2 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 “challah”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for challah
PropertyValue
Headwordchallah
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈxɑ(ː).lə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#89,215
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “challah” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).challahfalls 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: “Cerezo” (#89,213), “characterful” (#89,217), “celeriac” (#89,212). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “challah” is #89,215. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

challah is uncommon English at frequency #89,215 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈxɑ(ː).lə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for challah, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hebrew חַלָּה (ḥallá, “loaf”), influenced by Yiddish חלה (khale). The correct English form is challah, spelled C-H-A-L-L-A-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov.
  2. 2
    The commandment to separate a portion of bread or bread dough for the cohanim (Numbers 15:17–21); in contemporary practice, the portion is burned until inedible.
  3. 3
    The portion separated in fulfillment of the above.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]it is a time-honored custom that when women bake challah-loaves for Sabbath and Yom Tov use, they specifically prepare a dough large enough to be obligated in challah, so they can fulfill the mitzvah of separating challah[…].
  2. Posting photos of his Shabbat candles and challah on Friday night, [Mark] Zuckerberg said that he would be giving the ceremonial cup to his eldest daughter, Maxima.

Etymology

From Hebrew חַלָּה (ḥallá, “loaf”), influenced by Yiddish חלה (khale).

This word in other languages

jalá(Español)Zopf(Deutsch)

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 "challah"?
"challah" is spelled C-H-A-L-L-A-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈxɑ(ː).lə/.
What does "challah" mean?
As a noun, "challah" means: A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov.
How do you pronounce "challah"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "challah" is /ˈxɑ(ː).lə/. 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 "challah"?
From Hebrew חַלָּה (ḥallá, “loaf”), influenced by Yiddish חלה (khale). 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 "challah", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

charnel#89,220Catesby#89,208Cassano#89,206Capulet#89,199

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list