cheery

/ˈt͡ʃɪəɹi/

//ˈt͡ʃɪəɹi// adj

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

The verdict

“cheery” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,488 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#28,488
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In a good mood, happy, cheerful.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cheery vs Cher
50% similar
cheery vs chevy
67% similar
cheery vs chewy
67% similar

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

Key facts for cheery
PropertyValue
Headwordcheery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈt͡ʃɪəɹi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#28,488
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cheery” 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). cheery 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 cheery is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈt͡ʃɪəɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,488 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "In a good mood, happy, cheerful.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for cheery, with forms such as "ccheery", "cehery", and "cheerry". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "Cher", "chevy", "chewy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cheri, equivalent to cheer + -y. The correct English form is cheery, spelled C-H-E-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a good mood, happy, cheerful.

Etymology

From Middle English cheri, equivalent to cheer + -y.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccheery,cehery,cheerry,cheeryy,cheeyr,cherey,chheery,hceery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cheery - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccheery1cehery2cheerry1cheeryy1cheeyr2cherey2chheery1hceery2
Edit distance from "cheery"

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 "cheery"?
"cheery" is spelled C-H-E-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɪəɹi/.
What does "cheery" mean?
As an adjective, "cheery" means: In a good mood, happy, cheerful.
What words are commonly confused with "cheery"?
"cheery" is commonly confused with "Cher", "chevy", "chewy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cheery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cheery" is /ˈt͡ʃɪəɹi/. 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 "cheery"?
From Middle English cheri, equivalent to cheer + -y. 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 “cheery”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-E-E-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈt͡ʃɪəɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Cher” - see the side-by-side comparison. cheery vs Cher
  • 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