# chatter

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtʃætə/ · frequency rank #17,565

## Definitions
1. Talk, especially meaningless or unimportant talk.
2. The sound of talking.
3. The vocalisations of a Eurasian magpie, Pica pica.
4. The vocalisations of various birds or other animals.
5. An intermittent noise, as from vibration.
6. In national security, the degree of communication between suspect groups and individuals, used to gauge the degree of expected terrorist activity.
7. The situation where a drill or similar tool vibrates and tears the material rather than cutting it cleanly.

## Etymology
From Middle English chateren, from earlier cheteren, chiteren (“to twitter, chatter, jabber”), of imitative origin. Compare Saterland Frisian tjoaterje (“to chatter”), West Frisian tsjotterje (“to chatter”), Dutch schateren, schetteren (“chatter”), Dutch koeteren (“jabber”), Middle Low German kidderen (“to chatter”), German Low German queteln (“to chatter”), dialectal German kaudern (“to gobble (like a turkey)”), Danish kvidre (“to twitter, chirp”).

## Easily confused with
- **cutter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-cutter)
- **crater** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-crater)
- **chatty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-chatty)
- **cotter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-cotter)
- **Chester** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-chester)
- **coaster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-coaster)
- **cheater** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-cheater)
- **clutter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-clutter)
- **Chaucer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-chaucer)
- **critter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-critter)
- **clatter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatter-vs-clatter)
- **cater** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cater-vs-chatter)
- **Carter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carter-vs-chatter)
- **chaser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chaser-vs-chatter)
- **caster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caster-vs-chatter)
- **chaste** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chaste-vs-chatter)
- **canter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/canter-vs-chatter)
- **chapter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chapter-vs-chatter)
- **chamber** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chamber-vs-chatter)
- **charter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/charter-vs-chatter)

## Common misspellings (9)
`cahtter`, `cchatter`, `chater`, `chatetr`, `chatterr`, `chattre`, `chhatter`, `chtater`, `hcatter`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/chatter