charge

/t͡ʃɑːd͡ʒ/

//t͡ʃɑːd͡ʒ// noun

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

"charge" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“charge” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,012 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,012
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The amount of money levied for a service.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

charge vs chart
67% similar
charge vs chase
67% similar
charge vs charm
67% similar

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

Key facts for charge
PropertyValue
Headwordcharge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/t͡ʃɑːd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,012
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “charge” 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). charge lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for charge is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /t͡ʃɑːd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,012 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 21 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for charge, with forms such as "cahrge", "ccharge", and "chagre". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "chart", "chase", "charm", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós Proto-Celtic *karros Gaulish *karrosbor. Late Latin carrus Late Latin -ico Late Latin carricō Late Latin carricāre Old French chargierder. Middle English chargen … The correct English form is charge, spelled C-H-A-R-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The amount of money levied for a service.
  2. 2
    An attack in which combatants rush towards an enemy in an attempt to engage in close combat.
  3. 3
    A forceful forward movement.
  4. 4
    An accusation.
  5. 5
    An accusation.
  6. 6
    An electric charge.
  7. 7
    The scope of someone's responsibility.
  8. 8
    Someone or something entrusted to one's care, such as a child to a babysitter or a student to a teacher.
  9. 9
    A load or burden; cargo.
  10. 10
    An instruction.
  11. 11
    A mortgage.
  12. 12
    An offensive foul in which the player with the ball moves into a stationary defender.
  13. 13
    A measured amount of powder and/or shot in a cartridge.
  14. 14
    A measured amount of explosive.
  15. 15
    An image displayed on an escutcheon.
  16. 16
    A position (of a weapon) fitted for attack.
  17. 17
    A sort of plaster or ointment.
  18. 18
    Weight; import; value.
  19. 19
    A measure of thirty-six pigs of lead, each pig weighing about seventy pounds; a charre.
  20. 20
    An address given at a church service concluding a visitation.
  21. 21
    Cannabis.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós Proto-Celtic *karros Gaulish *karrosbor. Late Latin carrus Late Latin -ico Late Latin carricō Late Latin carricāre Old French chargierder. Middle English chargen English charge From Middle English chargen, from Old French chargier, from Late Latin carricō (“to load”), from Latin carrus (“a car, wagon”); see car. Doublet of cargo.

This word in other languages

cobranza(Español)frais(Français)Entgelt(Deutsch)encargo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cahrge,ccharge,chagre,chareg,chargge,charrge,chharge,chrage,hcarge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of charge - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

cahrge2ccharge1chagre2chareg2chargge1charrge1chharge1chrage2
Edit distance from "charge"

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 "charge"?
"charge" is spelled C-H-A-R-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /t͡ʃɑːd͡ʒ/.
What does "charge" mean?
As a noun, "charge" means: The amount of money levied for a service.
What words are commonly confused with "charge"?
"charge" is commonly confused with "chart", "chase", "charm". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "charge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "charge" is /t͡ʃɑːd͡ʒ/. 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 "charge"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós Proto-Celtic *karros Gaulish *karrosbor. Late Latin carrus Late Latin -ico Late Latin carricō Late Latin carricāre Old French chargierder. Middle Englis... 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 “charge”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-A-R-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /t͡ʃɑːd͡ʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “chart” - see the side-by-side comparison. charge vs chart
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list