chanson

Name: chanson, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ʃɑ̃ːˈsɔ̃ː/

//ʃɑ̃ːˈsɔ̃ː// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“chanson” is uncommon English (frequency #67,303 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,303
frequency rank, English: 43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any song with French words, but more specifically a classic, lyric-driven French song.

Key facts for chanson
Property	Value
Headword	chanson
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ʃɑ̃ːˈsɔ̃ː/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#67,303
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chanson” 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). chanson lands here:

#67,303

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

chanson is uncommon English at frequency #67,303 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ʃɑ̃ːˈsɔ̃ː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for chanson in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French chanson f (“song”), from Latin cantio f. Doublet of cantion and canzone. The correct English form is chanson, spelled C-H-A-N-S-O-N.

Definition

1
Any song with French words, but more specifically a classic, lyric-driven French song.
2
A religious song.

Etymology

From French chanson f (“song”), from Latin cantio f. Doublet of cantion and canzone.

This word in other languages

chanson(Français)Chanson(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 "chanson"?

"chanson" is spelled C-H-A-N-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃɑ̃ːˈsɔ̃ː/.

What does "chanson" mean?

As a noun, "chanson" means: Any song with French words, but more specifically a classic, lyric-driven French song.

How do you pronounce "chanson"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chanson" is /ʃɑ̃ːˈsɔ̃ː/. 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 "chanson"?

From French chanson f (“song”), from Latin cantio f. Doublet of cantion and canzone. 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 “chanson”

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

The one correct English spelling is C-H-A-N-S-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ʃɑ̃ːˈsɔ̃ː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.