chanter

/ˈtʃɑːntə/

//ˈtʃɑːntə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“chanter” is uncommon English (frequency #90,272 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,272
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who chants or sings.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chanter · chanter · English

chanter · rank #90,272 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #90,272
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH chaperoned

Nearest frequency peer: chaperoned (+1 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 “chanter”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for chanter
PropertyValue
Headwordchanter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtʃɑːntə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#90,272
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “chanter” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).chanterfalls 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: “chaperoned” (#90,273), “cavil” (#90,269), “Charis” (#90,275). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chanter” is #90,272. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

chanter is uncommon English at frequency #90,272 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtʃɑːntə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for chanter in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chauntour, from Old French chanteor, from Latin cantor; equivalent to chant + -er. Compare French chanteur. Doublet of cantor. The correct English form is chanter, spelled C-H-A-N-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who chants or sings.
  2. 2
    A priest who sings in a chantry.
  3. 3
    The pipe of a bagpipe on which the melody is played.
  4. 4
    The hedge sparrow.
  5. 5
    One who sells horses fraudulently, exaggerating their merits.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. the piper was near being strangled / They squeezed up his pipes, bellows, chanters and all.

Etymology

From Middle English chauntour, from Old French chanteor, from Latin cantor; equivalent to chant + -er. Compare French chanteur. Doublet of cantor.

This word in other languages

cantor(Español)chalumeau(Français)

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 "chanter"?
"chanter" is spelled C-H-A-N-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtʃɑːntə/.
What does "chanter" mean?
As a noun, "chanter" means: One who chants or sings.
How do you pronounce "chanter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chanter" is /ˈtʃɑːntə/. 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 "chanter"?
From Middle English chauntour, from Old French chanteor, from Latin cantor; equivalent to chant + -er. Compare French chanteur. Doublet of cantor. 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 "chanter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Chernov#90,281Chumash#90,289Cahokia#90,248burnish#90,239

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list