cheek

/t͡ʃiːk/

//t͡ʃiːk// noun

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

"cheek" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cheek” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,535. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,535
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The soft skin on each side of the face, below the eyes; the outer surface of the sides of the oral cavity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cheek · cheek · English

cheek · rank #7,535 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,535
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Casey

Nearest frequency peer: Casey (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cheek”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “cheek” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cheek vs chef
60% similar
cheek vs Chen
40% similar
cheek vs chew
60% similar

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

Key facts for cheek
PropertyValue
Headwordcheek
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/t͡ʃiːk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,535
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cheek”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).cheeklands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Casey” (#7,534), “Chen” (#7,536), “canyon” (#7,533). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cheek” is #7,535. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around cheek (IPA /t͡ʃiːk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,535 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for cheek, with forms such as "ccheek", "cehek", and "cheekk". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "chef", "Chen", "chew", 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 cheeke, cheke, cheoke, choke, from Old English ċēce, ċēace, ċēoce (“cheek; jaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *kākā, *keukā (“jaw, cheek”), from Proto-Germanic *kēkǭ, *keukǭ (“jaw; palate; pharynx”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵyewh₁… The correct English form is cheek, spelled C-H-E-E-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    The soft skin on each side of the face, below the eyes; the outer surface of the sides of the oral cavity.
  2. 2
    The lower part of the buttocks that is often exposed beneath very brief underwear, swimwear, or extremely short shorts.
  3. 3
    Impudence.
  4. 4
    One of the genae, flat areas on the sides of a trilobite's cephalon.
  5. 5
    One of the pieces of a machine, or of timber or stonework, that form corresponding sides or a similar pair.
  6. 6
    One of the pieces of a machine, or of timber or stonework, that form corresponding sides or a similar pair.
  7. 7
    The branches of a bridle bit.
  8. 8
    Either side of an axehead.
  9. 9
    The middle section of a flask, made so that it can be moved laterally, to permit the removal of the pattern from the mould.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how cheek appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper, / That steals the colours from Bassanio's cheek: / Some dear friend dead; else nothing in the world / Could turn so much the constitution / Of any constant man. What, worse and worse!— […]
  2. You’ve got some cheek, asking me for money!

Etymology

From Middle English cheeke, cheke, cheoke, choke, from Old English ċēce, ċēace, ċēoce (“cheek; jaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *kākā, *keukā (“jaw, cheek”), from Proto-Germanic *kēkǭ, *keukǭ (“jaw; palate; pharynx”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵyewh₁- (“to chew”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sooke (“cheek”), West Frisian tsjeak (“jaw”), Dutch kaak (“jaw; cheek”), Swedish käke (“jaw; jowl”), Norwegian kjake (“jaw”), Old Norse kók (“mouth; gullet”).

This word in other languages

mejilla(Español)joue(Français)Backe(Deutsch)bochecha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccheek
  • cehek
  • cheekk
  • chek
  • cheke
  • chheek
  • hceek

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cheek - 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.

ccheek1cehek2cheekk1chek1cheke2chheek1hceek2
Edit distance from "cheek"

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 "cheek"?
"cheek" is spelled C-H-E-E-K. The IPA pronunciation is /t͡ʃiːk/.
What does "cheek" mean?
As a noun, "cheek" means: The soft skin on each side of the face, below the eyes; the outer surface of the sides of the oral cavity.
What words are commonly confused with "cheek"?
"cheek" is commonly confused with "chef", "Chen", "chew". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cheek"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cheek" is /t͡ʃiːk/. 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 "cheek"?
From Middle English cheeke, cheke, cheoke, choke, from Old English ċēce, ċēace, ċēoce (“cheek; jaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *kākā, *keukā (“jaw, cheek”), from Proto-Germanic *kēkǭ, *keukǭ (“jaw; palate; pharynx”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-Europe... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "cheek", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Casey#7,534curry#7,550tumor#7,514drake#7,557

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

apples7 variantssweep7 variantsscout7 variantsJanet7 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list