chamfer

/ˈʃæm.fə/

//ˈʃæm.fə// noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An obtuse-angled relief or cut at an edge added for a finished appearance and to break sharp edges.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chamfer · chamfer · English

chamfer · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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 chamfer
PropertyValue
Headwordchamfer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃæm.fə/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “chamfer” in English

chamferranks 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

chamfer is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈʃæm.fə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An obtuse-angled relief or cut at an edge added for a finished appearance and to break sharp edges.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for chamfer, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation from chamfering, from Middle French chanfrain, from Middle French, Old French chanfraindre, possibly a compound of chant (“corner”), from Latin canthus (of either Celtic or Latin origin) + fraindre (“to break”), from frangō (“I break”). The correct English form is chamfer, spelled C-H-A-M-F-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An obtuse-angled relief or cut at an edge added for a finished appearance and to break sharp edges.

Etymology

Back-formation from chamfering, from Middle French chanfrain, from Middle French, Old French chanfraindre, possibly a compound of chant (“corner”), from Latin canthus (of either Celtic or Latin origin) + fraindre (“to break”), from frangō (“I break”).

This word in other languages

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 "chamfer"?
"chamfer" is spelled C-H-A-M-F-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃæm.fə/.
What does "chamfer" mean?
As a noun, "chamfer" means: An obtuse-angled relief or cut at an edge added for a finished appearance and to break sharp edges.
How do you pronounce "chamfer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chamfer" is /ˈʃæm.fə/. 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 "chamfer"?
Back-formation from chamfering, from Middle French chanfrain, from Middle French, Old French chanfraindre, possibly a compound of chant (“corner”), from Latin canthus (of either Celtic or Latin origin) + fraindre (“to break”), from frangō (“I brea... 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list