chemistry

/ˈkɛm.ɪ.stɹi/

//ˈkɛm.ɪ.stɹi// noun

"chemistry" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chemistry” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,931. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,931
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - The branch of natural science that deals with the composition and constitution of substances and the changes that they undergo as a consequence of alterations in the constitution of their molecules.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chemistry · chemistry · English

chemistry · rank #3,931 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,931
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Chelsea

Nearest frequency peer: Chelsea (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “chemistry”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “chemistry” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chemistry vs chemist
78% similar

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

Key facts for chemistry
PropertyValue
Headwordchemistry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɛm.ɪ.stɹi/
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,931
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chemistry” 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). chemistry lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around chemistry (IPA /ˈkɛm.ɪ.stɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,931 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for chemistry, with forms such as "cchemistry", "cehmistry", and "cheimstry". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "chemist", 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 chemistry, spelled C-H-E-M-I-S-T-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The branch of natural science that deals with the composition and constitution of substances and the changes that they undergo as a consequence of alterations in the constitution of their molecules.
  2. 2
    An application of chemical theory and method to a particular substance.
  3. 3
    The chemical properties and reactions of a particular organism, environment etc.
  4. 4
    The mutual attraction between two people; rapport.
  5. 5
    A blood test to measure the amount of various components of the serum (such as electrolytes, creatinine, and glucose).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how chemistry appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Learning the very complicated chemistries necessary to reproduce reality into a picture using light
  2. The aquatic chemistries of iron and manganese are similar; this “is reflected geologically in their common association in rocks of all kinds” (Bortleson and Lee, 1974).

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 English -ry English chemistry First coined 1605, from chemist + -ry. From chemist, chymist, from Latin alchimista, from Arabic اَلْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ), from article اَل (al-) + Ancient Greek χυμεία (khumeía, “art of alloying metals”), from χύμα (khúma, “fluid”), from χυμός (khumós, “juice”), from χέω (khéō, “to pour”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchemistry
  • cehmistry
  • cheimstry
  • chemisrty
  • chemisstry
  • chemistrry
  • chemistryy
  • chemisttry
  • chemistyr
  • chemitsry
  • chemmistry
  • chemsitry
  • chhemistry
  • chmeistry
  • hcemistry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cchemistry1cehmistry2cheimstry2chemisrty2chemisstry1chemistrry1chemistryy1chemisttry1
Edit distance from "chemistry"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "chemistry"?
"chemistry" is spelled C-H-E-M-I-S-T-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɛm.ɪ.stɹi/.
What does "chemistry" mean?
As a noun, "chemistry" means: The branch of natural science that deals with the composition and constitution of substances and the changes that they undergo as a consequence of alterations in the constitution of their molecules.
What words are commonly confused with "chemistry"?
"chemistry" is commonly confused with "chemist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chemistry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chemistry" is /ˈkɛm.ɪ.stɹi/. 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 "chemistry"?
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) Anc... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "chemistry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

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