Cherbourg

name

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

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

The verdict

“Cherbourg” is uncommon English (frequency #53,440 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,440
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A coastal town in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin commune, Manche department, Normandy, France.

Key facts for Cherbourg
PropertyValue
HeadwordCherbourg
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters9
Frequency rank#53,440
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Cherbourg” 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). Cherbourg lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

Cherbourg is uncommon English at frequency #53,440 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as aproper noun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for Cherbourg in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French Cherbourg, from Old French Chieresburg, probably from Old Norse kjarr (“thicket”) + borg (“fort”). Compare Old English Kiǣresburh. The correct English form is Cherbourg, spelled C-H-E-R-B-O-U-R-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A coastal town in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin commune, Manche department, Normandy, France.
  2. 2
    A town and local government area (the Aboriginal Shire of Cherbourg, which is surrounded by South Burnett Region) in Queensland, Australia.

Etymology

Borrowed from French Cherbourg, from Old French Chieresburg, probably from Old Norse kjarr (“thicket”) + borg (“fort”). Compare Old English Kiǣresburh.

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 "Cherbourg"?
"Cherbourg" is spelled C-H-E-R-B-O-U-R-G.
What does "Cherbourg" mean?
As a proper noun, "Cherbourg" means: A coastal town in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin commune, Manche department, Normandy, France.
What is the origin of the word "Cherbourg"?
Borrowed from French Cherbourg, from Old French Chieresburg, probably from Old Norse kjarr (“thicket”) + borg (“fort”). Compare Old English Kiǣresburh. 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 “Cherbourg”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-E-R-B-O-U-R-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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