chef

/ʃɛf/

//ʃɛf// noun

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

"chef" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chef” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,835 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,835
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The presiding cook in the kitchen of a large household.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chef vs chi
50% similar
chef vs cue
50% similar
chef vs chu
50% similar

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

Key facts for chef
PropertyValue
Headwordchef
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ʃɛf/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,835
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chef” 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). chef 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 chef is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ʃɛf/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,835 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for chef, with forms such as "cchef", "cehf", and "cheff". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "chi", "cue", "chu", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from French chef (from the positions of chef d'office and chef de cuisine), from Old French chief (“head, leader”) (English chief), from Vulgar Latin capus (“head”) (from which also captain, chieftain), from Latin caput (“head”) (possibl… The correct English form is chef, spelled C-H-E-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    The presiding cook in the kitchen of a large household.
  2. 2
    The head cook of a restaurant or other establishment.
  3. 3
    Any cook.
  4. 4
    One who manufactures illegal drugs; a cook.
  5. 5
    A reliquary in the shape of a head.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French chef (from the positions of chef d'office and chef de cuisine), from Old French chief (“head, leader”) (English chief), from Vulgar Latin capus (“head”) (from which also captain, chieftain), from Latin caput (“head”) (possibly related to English cap (“head covering”)). Doublet of cape, capo, caput, and chief through Latin, and head and Howth through Proto-Indo-European.

Synonyms

magiristmagirologist

This word in other languages

chef(Español)chef cuisinier(Français)Chefkoch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchef,cehf,cheff,chfe,chhef,hcef

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cchef1cehf2cheff1chfe2chhef1hcef2
Edit distance from "chef"

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 "chef"?
"chef" is spelled C-H-E-F. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃɛf/.
What does "chef" mean?
As a noun, "chef" means: The presiding cook in the kitchen of a large household.
What words are commonly confused with "chef"?
"chef" is commonly confused with "chi", "cue", "chu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chef"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chef" is /ʃɛf/. 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 "chef"?
Unadapted borrowing from French chef (from the positions of chef d'office and chef de cuisine), from Old French chief (“head, leader”) (English chief), from Vulgar Latin capus (“head”) (from which also captain, chieftain), from Latin caput (“head”... 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 “chef”

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

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