champaign

/ˈʃæmpeɪn/

//ˈʃæmpeɪn// noun

"champaign" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“champaign” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #26,035 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#26,035
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Open countryside, or an area of open countryside.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

champaign vs champion
78% similar
champaign vs Champlain
67% similar
champaign vs campaign
89% similar

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

Key facts for champaign
PropertyValue
Headwordchampaign
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃæmpeɪn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#26,035
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “champaign” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for champaign is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʃæmpeɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #26,035 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for champaign, with forms such as "cahmpaign", "cchampaign", and "chamapign". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "champion", "Champlain", "campaign", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French champaigne, from Late Latin campānia. The correct English form is champaign, spelled C-H-A-M-P-A-I-G-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Open countryside, or an area of open countryside.
  2. 2
    A battlefield.

Etymology

From Old French champaigne, from Late Latin campānia.

Synonyms

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cahmpaign,cchampaign,chamapign,chammpaign,champagin,champaiggn,champaignn,champaing,champiagn,champpaign,chapmaign,chhampaign,chmapaign,hcampaign

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of champaign - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cahmpaign2cchampaign1chamapign2chammpaign1champagin2champaiggn1champaignn1champaing2
Edit distance from "champaign"

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 "champaign"?
"champaign" is spelled C-H-A-M-P-A-I-G-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃæmpeɪn/.
What does "champaign" mean?
As a noun, "champaign" means: Open countryside, or an area of open countryside.
What words are commonly confused with "champaign"?
"champaign" is commonly confused with "champion", "Champlain", "campaign". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "champaign"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "champaign" is /ˈʃæmpeɪn/. 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 "champaign"?
From Old French champaigne, from Late Latin campānia. 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.

Using “champaign”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-A-M-P-A-I-G-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʃæmpeɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “champion” - see the side-by-side comparison. champaign vs champion
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list