# chef

> English word · Noun · IPA /ʃɛf/ · frequency rank #4,835

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

## Easily confused with
- **chi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-chi)
- **cue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-cue)
- **chu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-chu)
- **cho** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-cho)
- **Coe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-coe)
- **CHP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-chp)
- **CME** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-cme)
- **CTE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-cte)
- **CHR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-chr)
- **CIF** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-cif)
- **CSE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-cse)
- **crew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-crew)
- **chip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-chip)
- **chin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-chin)
- **Chen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-chen)
- **chop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-chop)
- **chic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-chic)
- **chew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-chew)
- **cues** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-cues)
- **Choi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chef-vs-choi)

## Common misspellings (6)
`cchef`, `cehf`, `cheff`, `chfe`, `chhef`, `hcef`

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