cheerio

/ˈtʃɪəɹ.i.əʊ/

//ˈtʃɪəɹ.i.əʊ// intj

"cheerio" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cheerio” is an uncommon English word, ranked #64,980 in English word frequency and used as an interjection.

#64,980
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Goodbye, an interjection said upon parting.

Key facts for cheerio
PropertyValue
Headwordcheerio
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/ˈtʃɪəɹ.i.əʊ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#64,980
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cheerio” 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). cheerio 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 cheerio is 7 letters long, classified as an interjection, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtʃɪəɹ.i.əʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #64,980 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.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for cheerio, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cheer and/or cheery + -o. The correct English form is cheerio, spelled C-H-E-E-R-I-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Goodbye, an interjection said upon parting.
  2. 2
    Hello; a greeting.

Etymology

From cheer and/or cheery + -o.

This word in other languages

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 "cheerio"?
"cheerio" is spelled C-H-E-E-R-I-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtʃɪəɹ.i.əʊ/.
What does "cheerio" mean?
As an interjection, "cheerio" means: Goodbye, an interjection said upon parting.
How do you pronounce "cheerio"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cheerio" is /ˈtʃɪəɹ.i.əʊ/. 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 "cheerio"?
From cheer and/or cheery + -o. 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 “cheerio”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-E-E-R-I-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtʃɪəɹ.i.əʊ/ (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