chapter

/ˈt͡ʃæptə(r)/

//ˈt͡ʃæptə(r)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“chapter” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,245. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,245
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chapter · chapter · English

chapter · rank #2,245 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,245
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH chain

Nearest frequency peer: chain (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “chapter”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “chapter” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

chapter vs crater
71% similar
chapter vs chaser
71% similar
chapter vs chaste
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for chapter
PropertyValue
Headwordchapter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈt͡ʃæptə(r)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,245
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “chapter”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).chapterlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “chain” (#2,244), “committed” (#2,246), “Asia” (#2,243). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chapter” is #2,245. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around chapter (IPA /ˈt͡ʃæptə(r)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,245 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for chapter, with forms such as "cahpter", "cchapter", and "chapetr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "crater", "chaser", "chaste", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chapitre, from Old French chapitre, from Latin capitulum (“a chapter of a book, in Medieval Latin also a synod or council”), diminutive of caput (“a head”); see capital, capitulum, and chapiter, which are doublets of chapter. The correct English form is chapter, spelled C-H-A-P-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book.
  2. 2
    One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book.
  3. 3
    Certain ecclesiastical bodies (under canon law)
  4. 4
    Certain ecclesiastical bodies (under canon law)
  5. 5
    Certain ecclesiastical bodies (under canon law)
  6. 6
    A section of a social body.
  7. 7
    A section of a social body.
  8. 8
    A meeting of a chapter of certain organized societies or orders.
  9. 9
    A chapter house
  10. 10
    A sequence (of events), especially when presumed related and likely to continue.
  11. 11
    A location or compartment.
  12. 12
    A prescribed reading at one of the canonical hours.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Detective novel writers try to keep up the suspense until the last chapter.
  2. At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.

Etymology

From Middle English chapitre, from Old French chapitre, from Latin capitulum (“a chapter of a book, in Medieval Latin also a synod or council”), diminutive of caput (“a head”); see capital, capitulum, and chapiter, which are doublets of chapter.

Synonyms

ch.chap.chpt.

This word in other languages

capítulo(Español)chapitre(Français)Kapitel(Deutsch)capítulo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cahpter
  • cchapter
  • chapetr
  • chappter
  • chapterr
  • chaptre
  • chaptter
  • chatper
  • chhapter
  • chpater
  • hcapter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chapter - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cahpter2cchapter1chapetr2chappter1chapterr1chaptre2chaptter1chatper2
Edit distance from "chapter"

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 "chapter"?
"chapter" is spelled C-H-A-P-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃæptə(r)/.
What does "chapter" mean?
As a noun, "chapter" means: One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book.
What words are commonly confused with "chapter"?
"chapter" is commonly confused with "crater", "chaser", "chaste". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chapter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chapter" is /ˈt͡ʃæptə(r)/. 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 "chapter"?
From Middle English chapitre, from Old French chapitre, from Latin capitulum (“a chapter of a book, in Medieval Latin also a synod or council”), diminutive of caput (“a head”); see capital, capitulum, and chapiter, which are doublets of chapter. 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 "chapter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

advance#2,241finance#2,252YouTube#2,238focused#2,253

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

kitchen11 variantsstreets11 variantsmaintain11 variantssharing11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list