Chang'an

/ˈt͡ʃɑŋˌɑn/

//ˈt͡ʃɑŋˌɑn// name

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

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

The verdict

“Chang'an” is uncommon English (frequency #95,817 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,817
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An ancient capital of various Chinese empires, located within present-day Xi'an.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chang-an · Chang'an · English

Chang'an · rank #95,817 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #95,817
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH CEX

Nearest frequency peer: CEX (-3 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 “Chang'an”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Chang'an
PropertyValue
HeadwordChang'an
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈt͡ʃɑŋˌɑn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#95,817
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Chang'an” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).Chang'anfalls 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: “CEX” (#95,814), “caws” (#95,812), “caudate” (#95,810). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “Chang'an” is #95,817. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Chang'an is uncommon English at frequency #95,817 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈt͡ʃɑŋˌɑn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Chang'an, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the atonal Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 長安 /长安 (Cháng'ān). The correct English form is Chang'an, spelled C-H-A-N-G-'-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An ancient capital of various Chinese empires, located within present-day Xi'an.
  2. 2
    A district and former county of Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Chinese government started laying intercity high-speed track in 2005, and today, its network is the longest and most heavily relied upon of any nation’s. Six hours are enough to devour the over 900 miles from Shanghai to Xi’an, the landlocked capital of Shaanxi Province in China’s central northwest, standing on the bones of the imperial city of Chang’…
  2. At the height of its prominence during the Tang dynasty (618-907), Xi’an, then known as Chang’an, was one of the world’s largest and most populous cities, although its history actually stretches back more than 6,500 years to the Neolithic period.[…] Since Han dynasty diplomat Zhang Qian blazed a trail westward from Chang’an more than 2,000 years ago, trad…

Etymology

From the atonal Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 長安 /长安 (Cháng'ān).

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 "Chang'an"?
"Chang'an" is spelled C-H-A-N-G-'-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɑŋˌɑn/.
What does "Chang'an" mean?
As a proper noun, "Chang'an" means: An ancient capital of various Chinese empires, located within present-day Xi'an.
How do you pronounce "Chang'an"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Chang'an" is /ˈt͡ʃɑŋˌɑn/. 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 "Chang'an"?
From the atonal Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 長安 /长安 (Cháng'ān). 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 "Chang'an", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

clownish#95,832cocksure#95,839buckhorn#95,778cyberman#95,870

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list