# cheetah

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈt͡ʃiːtə/ · frequency rank #22,322

## Definitions
1. A distinctive member (Acinonyx jubatus) of the cat family, slightly smaller than the leopard, but with proportionately longer limbs and a smaller head; native to Africa and southeast Asia (where it is nearly extinct) and also credited with being the fastest terrestrial animal.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Hindi चीता (cītā, “leopard, panther”), ultimately from Sanskrit चित्र (citra, “multicolored, speckled”) (akin to Old High German haitar (“bright”) > German heiter; Old Norse heiðr (“bright”)) + Sanskrit काय (kāya, “body”), thus “having a spotted body”.

## Easily confused with
- **Cheetos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cheetah-vs-cheetos)

## Common misspellings (10)
`ccheetah`, `cehetah`, `cheeath`, `cheetahh`, `cheetha`, `cheettah`, `chetah`, `cheteah`, `chheetah`, `hceetah`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cheetah