Chaucer
/ˈt͡ʃɔːsə/
"chaucer" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Chaucer” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #35,216 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.
- #35,216
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 14
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A rare medieval English surname from Old French.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Chaucer |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ˈt͡ʃɔːsə/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #35,216 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 14 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Chaucer” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for Chaucer is 7 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈt͡ʃɔːsə/. Corpus data places it at rank #35,216 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for Chaucer, with forms such as "cahucer", "cchaucer", and "chacuer". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "Chauncey", "chance", "cancer", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English Chaucer, from Old French chaucier (“hose-maker, hosier”), from chauces (“clothing for the legs, breeches, pantaloons, hose”). Compare the modern loanword chausse. The correct English form is Chaucer, spelled C-H-A-U-C-E-R.
Definition
- 1A rare medieval English surname from Old French.
- 2A rare medieval English surname from Old French.
Etymology
From Middle English Chaucer, from Old French chaucier (“hose-maker, hosier”), from chauces (“clothing for the legs, breeches, pantaloons, hose”). Compare the modern loanword chausse.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: cahucer,cchaucer,chacuer,chauccer,chaucerr,chaucre,chauecr,chhaucer,chuacer,hcaucer
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Chaucer - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "Chaucer"?
What does "Chaucer" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "Chaucer"?
How do you pronounce "Chaucer"?
What is the origin of the word "Chaucer"?
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Using “Chaucer”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-H-A-U-C-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈt͡ʃɔːsə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Chauncey” - see the side-by-side comparison. Chaucer vs Chauncey
- 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.