chemist
/ˈkɛmɪst/
"chemist" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“chemist” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,718 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,718
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who specializes in the science of chemistry, especially at a professional level.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | chemist |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɛmɪst/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #14,718 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “chemist” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for chemist is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɛmɪst/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,718 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for chemist, with forms such as "cchemist", "cehmist", and "cheimst". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "chest", "Christ", "cherish", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew- Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Ancient Greek -μᾰ (-mă) Ancient Greek χῠ́μᾰ (khŭ́mă) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ία (-ía) Ancient Greek… The correct English form is chemist, spelled C-H-E-M-I-S-T.
Definition
- 1A person who specializes in the science of chemistry, especially at a professional level.
- 2Synonym of pharmacist.
- 3Synonym of pharmacy, especially as a standalone shop or general store.
- 4An alchemist.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew- Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Ancient Greek -μᾰ (-mă) Ancient Greek χῠ́μᾰ (khŭ́mă) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ία (-ía) Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ (khumeíā)bor. Arabic الْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ)bor. Medieval Latin alchēmia ▲ Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ (khumeíā)influ. New Latin chimiabor. Middle French chymie French chimie Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ίζω (-ízō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ιστής (-istḗs)der. Latin -istabor. French -iste French chimistebor. English chemist First attested 1562, borrowed from French chimiste, from Medieval Latin chimista, from earlier alchimista (literally “alchemist”), from Arabic الْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ), with article اَلْ (al-) + Ancient Greek χυμεία (khumeía, “art of alloying metals”), from χύμα (khúma, “fluid”), from χυμός (khumós, “juice”), from χέω (khéō, “I pour”). The pronunciation with initial /k/ is based on the Graeco-Latin etymology rather than on the French word, where the pronunciation with /ʃ/ is based on native French orthography. As a synonym for pharmacy, a metonymous use of the proprietor to stand for their shop.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: cchemist,cehmist,cheimst,chemisst,chemistt,chemits,chemmist,chemsit,chhemist,chmeist,hcemist
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chemist - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “chemist”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-H-E-M-I-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɛmɪst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “chest” - see the side-by-side comparison. chemist vs chest
- 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.