chav

/t͡ʃæv/

//t͡ʃæv// noun

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

"chav" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chav” is an uncommon English word, ranked #68,922 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#68,922
frequency rank, English
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A working-class youth, especially one associated with aggression, poor education, and a perceived "common" taste in clothing and lifestyle.

Key facts for chav
PropertyValue
Headwordchav
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/t͡ʃæv/
Letters4
Frequency rank#68,922
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chav” 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). chav 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 chav is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /t͡ʃæv/. Corpus data places it at rank #68,922 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A working-class youth, especially one associated with aggression, poor education, and a perceived "common" taste in clothing and lifestyle.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for chav, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Origin uncertain; probably of Angloromani origin. Compare Romani chavi (“male child”) or ćhavo, shavo (“female child”), chal (“boy”), chavvy (“mate, friend”), compare Swedish tjej; possibly cognate with Portuguese chavalo, Spanish chaval, German Chabo, Russ… The correct English form is chav, spelled C-H-A-V.

Definition

  1. 1
    A working-class youth, especially one associated with aggression, poor education, and a perceived "common" taste in clothing and lifestyle.

Etymology

Origin uncertain; probably of Angloromani origin. Compare Romani chavi (“male child”) or ćhavo, shavo (“female child”), chal (“boy”), chavvy (“mate, friend”), compare Swedish tjej; possibly cognate with Portuguese chavalo, Spanish chaval, German Chabo, Russian чувак (čuvak), Hungarian csávó. See also charva. Derivations from council-housed and violent, Cheltenham average (and similar) are folk-etymological backronyms.

Synonyms

adlaybamBarry boybazzabennyboganbopperbrushcharvacharverchavdobberdresserdumboeshaygazzagippoherberthood ratkevknackermevnednobockerpikeyplebpoor white trashprolepuffyradgieredneckrudeboyrudiescallyscangerschemiescobescoundrelscratterscrotescrubscrubberscufferscumbagscunnerscuttershamskangerskeetsmackheadsmicksnoopyspidesteekstigsweeperthugthugettetownietrailer trashtrevvicWestiewhite trashwiggeryarcoyobyobbo

This word in other languages

flaite(Español)racaille(Français)Asi(Deutsch)trombadinha(Português)

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 "chav"?
"chav" is spelled C-H-A-V. The IPA pronunciation is /t͡ʃæv/.
What does "chav" mean?
As a noun, "chav" means: A working-class youth, especially one associated with aggression, poor education, and a perceived "common" taste in clothing and lifestyle.
How do you pronounce "chav"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chav" is /t͡ʃæv/. 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 "chav"?
Origin uncertain; probably of Angloromani origin. Compare Romani chavi (“male child”) or ćhavo, shavo (“female child”), chal (“boy”), chavvy (“mate, friend”), compare Swedish tjej; possibly cognate with Portuguese chavalo, Spanish chaval, German C... 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 “chav”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-A-V - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /t͡ʃæv/ (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
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