chaperon

/ˈʃæ.pəˌɹoʊn/

//ˈʃæ.pəˌɹoʊn// noun

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

"chaperon" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chaperon” is uncommon English (frequency #87,129 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,129
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An adult who accompanies or supervises one or more young, unmarried men or women during social occasions, usually with the specific intent of preventing some types of social or sexual interactions ...

Key facts for chaperon
PropertyValue
Headwordchaperon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃæ.pəˌɹoʊn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#87,129
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chaperon” 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). chaperon lands here:

#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

chaperon is uncommon English at frequency #87,129 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈʃæ.pəˌɹoʊn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for chaperon, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French chaperon (“hood”), from Middle French, "head covering", from Old French chape. The correct English form is chaperon, spelled C-H-A-P-E-R-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An adult who accompanies or supervises one or more young, unmarried men or women during social occasions, usually with the specific intent of preventing some types of social or sexual interactions or illegal behavior.
  2. 2
    A type of hood, often ornamental or official, with an attached cape and a tail, later worn as a hat with the face hole put over the top of the head instead.
  3. 3
    A device placed on the foreheads of horses which draw the hearse in pompous funerals.

Etymology

From French chaperon (“hood”), from Middle French, "head covering", from Old French chape.

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 "chaperon"?
"chaperon" is spelled C-H-A-P-E-R-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃæ.pəˌɹoʊn/.
What does "chaperon" mean?
As a noun, "chaperon" means: An adult who accompanies or supervises one or more young, unmarried men or women during social occasions, usually with the specific intent of preventing some types of social or sexual interactions ...
How do you pronounce "chaperon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chaperon" is /ˈʃæ.pəˌɹoʊn/. 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 "chaperon"?
From French chaperon (“hood”), from Middle French, "head covering", from Old French chape. 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 “chaperon”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-A-P-E-R-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʃæ.pəˌɹoʊn/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list