chapeau
/ʃæˈpəʊ/
"chapeau" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“chapeau” is uncommon English (frequency #72,177 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #72,177
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A hat.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | chapeau |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ʃæˈpəʊ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #72,177 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “chapeau” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
chapeau is uncommon English at frequency #72,177 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ʃæˈpəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for chapeau, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French chappeau. The interjection is after Modern French chapeau in similar use, originally short for chapeau bas. The correct English form is chapeau, spelled C-H-A-P-E-A-U.
Definition
- 1A hat.
- 2A cap of maintenance.
- 3The mass of grape solids that floats on the surface during the fermentation of wine.
- 4The text at the start of a numbered section of a legal document that appears directly beside the section number, ahead of any numbered subsections.
- 5A passage of introductory text appearing in a treaty that broadly defines its principles, objectives, and background.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French chappeau. The interjection is after Modern French chapeau in similar use, originally short for chapeau bas.
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 "chapeau"?
What does "chapeau" mean?
How do you pronounce "chapeau"?
What is the origin of the word "chapeau"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “chapeau”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-H-A-P-E-A-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ʃæˈpəʊ/ (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.