chance

/t͡ʃæns/

//t͡ʃæns// noun

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

"chance" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chance” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #548 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#548
frequency rank, English
6
letters
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An opportunity or possibility.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chance vs chase
67% similar
chance vs crane
67% similar
chance vs chang
67% similar

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

Key facts for chance
PropertyValue
Headwordchance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/t͡ʃæns/
Letters6
Frequency rank#548
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chance” 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). chance 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 chance is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /t͡ʃæns/. Corpus data places it at rank #548 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for chance, with forms such as "cahnce", "cchance", and "chacne". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "chase", "crane", "chang", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chance, cheance, chaunce, cheaunce, a borrowing from Old French cheance (“accident, chance, luck”), from Vulgar Latin *cadentia (“falling”), from Latin cadere (“to fall, to die, to happen, occur”). Doublet of cadence and cadenza. The correct English form is chance, spelled C-H-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An opportunity or possibility.
  2. 2
    Random occurrence; luck.
  3. 3
    The probability of something happening.
  4. 4
    probability; possibility.
  5. 5
    What befalls or happens to a person; their lot or fate.

Etymology

From Middle English chance, cheance, chaunce, cheaunce, a borrowing from Old French cheance (“accident, chance, luck”), from Vulgar Latin *cadentia (“falling”), from Latin cadere (“to fall, to die, to happen, occur”). Doublet of cadence and cadenza.

This word in other languages

oportunidad(Español)chance(Français)Gelegenheit(Deutsch)chance(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cahnce,cchance,chacne,chancce,chanec,channce,chence,chhance,chnace,hcance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cahnce2cchance1chacne2chancce1chanec2channce1chence1chhance1
Edit distance from "chance"

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 "chance"?
"chance" is spelled C-H-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /t͡ʃæns/.
What does "chance" mean?
As a noun, "chance" means: An opportunity or possibility.
What words are commonly confused with "chance"?
"chance" is commonly confused with "chase", "crane", "chang". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chance" is /t͡ʃæns/. 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 "chance"?
From Middle English chance, cheance, chaunce, cheaunce, a borrowing from Old French cheance (“accident, chance, luck”), from Vulgar Latin *cadentia (“falling”), from Latin cadere (“to fall, to die, to happen, occur”). Doublet of cadence and cadenza. 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 “chance”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /t͡ʃæns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “chase” - see the side-by-side comparison. chance vs chase
  • 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