checkmate
/ˈt͡ʃɛkmeɪt/
"checkmate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“checkmate” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,593. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #29,593
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Word called out by the victor when making a move that wins the game.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | checkmate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Interjection |
| IPA | /ˈt͡ʃɛkmeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #29,593 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “checkmate” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 14 spelling variants around checkmate (IPA /ˈt͡ʃɛkmeɪt/), aninterjection. Corpus frequency is #29,593 among 43,570 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for checkmate, with forms such as "ccheckmate", "cehckmate", and "chcekmate". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chekmat, from Old French eschec mat, from Arabic شَاه مَاتَ (šāh māta), from Classical Persian شاه مات (šāh māt, “the king [is] amazed”). The correct English form is checkmate, spelled C-H-E-C-K-M-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1Word called out by the victor when making a move that wins the game.
- 2Said when one has placed a person in a losing situation with no escape.
Etymology
From Middle English chekmat, from Old French eschec mat, from Arabic شَاه مَاتَ (šāh māta), from Classical Persian شاه مات (šāh māt, “the king [is] amazed”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ccheckmate
- cehckmate
- chcekmate
- checckmate
- checkamte
- checkkmate
- checkmaet
- checkmatte
- checkmmate
- checkmtae
- checmkate
- chekcmate
- chheckmate
- hceckmate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of checkmate - 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 "checkmate"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “checkmate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-H-E-C-K-M-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈt͡ʃɛkmeɪt/ (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
Same frequency band
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.