cheeky

/ˈt͡ʃiːki/

//ˈt͡ʃiːki// adj

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

"cheeky" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cheeky” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,717. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,717
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Impudent; impertinent; impertinently bold, often in a way that is regarded as endearing or amusing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cheeky · cheeky · English

cheeky · rank #14,717 · 9 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,717
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cecil

Nearest frequency peer: Cecil (-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 “cheeky”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cheeky” 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).

cheeky vs creek
67% similar
cheeky vs cheer
67% similar
cheeky vs chevy
67% similar

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

Key facts for cheeky
PropertyValue
Headwordcheeky
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈt͡ʃiːki/
Letters6
Frequency rank#14,717
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cheeky”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cheekylands 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 “Cecil” (#14,716), “chemist” (#14,718), “CCTV” (#14,715). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cheeky” is #14,717. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around cheeky (IPA /ˈt͡ʃiːki/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #14,717 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for cheeky, with forms such as "ccheeky", "ceheky", and "cheekky". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "creek", "cheer", "chevy", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cheek + -y. Compare typologically barefaced, bald-faced; Italian sfacciato (< Latin ex- + faciēs); French effronté, Italian sfrontato (< Latin ex- + frons), Polish czelny (< czoło). The correct English form is cheeky, spelled C-H-E-E-K-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Impudent; impertinent; impertinently bold, often in a way that is regarded as endearing or amusing.
  2. 2
    Tending to expose the cheeks of the buttocks.
  3. 3
    Poisonous (of animals such as snakes), dangerous, cunning, violent, potent.
  4. 4
    Indulged in as a treat, especially an unhealthy one.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 'Shut up,' said Harrison. 'You chaps always behave as if you were jawin' us when we come to jaw you.' / 'You're a lot too cheeky,' said Craye.
  2. The Young Turks, as might have been expected, wrote in their customary flippant, cheeky style.

Etymology

From cheek + -y. Compare typologically barefaced, bald-faced; Italian sfacciato (< Latin ex- + faciēs); French effronté, Italian sfrontato (< Latin ex- + frons), Polish czelny (< czoło).

Synonyms

sassysaucyinsolentaudaciousboldget wisebold-facedbold as brassbrassybrazenbrazen-facedcheekychutzpadikcocketcutedicaciousfaceyfamiliarflippantflipforwardfreshimpiousimpudentimpertinentirreverentmalapertpertpetulant

Antonyms

politerespectfulrestrainedsycophanticshymeek

This word in other languages

burlón(Español)effronté(Français)frech(Deutsch)atrevido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccheeky
  • ceheky
  • cheekky
  • cheekyy
  • cheeyk
  • chekey
  • cheky
  • chheeky
  • hceeky

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccheeky1ceheky2cheekky1cheekyy1cheeyk2chekey2cheky1chheeky1
Edit distance from "cheeky"

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 "cheeky"?
"cheeky" is spelled C-H-E-E-K-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃiːki/.
What does "cheeky" mean?
As an adjective, "cheeky" means: Impudent; impertinent; impertinently bold, often in a way that is regarded as endearing or amusing.
What words are commonly confused with "cheeky"?
"cheeky" is commonly confused with "creek", "cheer", "chevy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cheeky"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cheeky" is /ˈt͡ʃiːki/. 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 "cheeky"?
From cheek + -y. Compare typologically barefaced, bald-faced; Italian sfacciato (< Latin ex- + faciēs); French effronté, Italian sfrontato (< Latin ex- + frons), Polish czelny (< czoło). 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 "cheeky", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

brandy#14,707cosmos#14,727bleach#14,704benign#14,702

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

drilled9 variantszoning9 variantsfandom9 variantsuphold9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list