cherish

/ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/

//ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ// verb

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

"cherish" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cherish” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,490. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,490
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To treat with affection, care, and tenderness; to nurture or protect with care.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cherish · cherish · English

cherish · rank #14,490 · 11 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,490
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Chennai

Nearest frequency peer: Chennai (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cherish”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “cherish” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cherish vs Chris
57% similar
cherish vs Christ
57% similar
cherish vs cherished
78% similar

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

Key facts for cherish
PropertyValue
Headwordcherish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,490
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cherish”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cherishlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Chennai” (#14,489), “chuckle” (#14,491), “canopy” (#14,488). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cherish” is #14,490. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around cherish (IPA /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #14,490 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for cherish, with forms such as "ccherish", "cehrish", and "cheirsh". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Chris", "Christ", "cherished", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English charish, cherishen (“to have affection for, hold dear, treat kindly; to esteem, respect; to cherish; to take care of; to greet; to entertain, treat hospitably; to cheer; to encourage, incite”), from Old French cheriss-, chieriss-, extend… The correct English form is cherish, spelled C-H-E-R-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To treat with affection, care, and tenderness; to nurture or protect with care.
  2. 2
    To have a deep appreciation of; to hold dear.
  3. 3
    To cheer, to gladden.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [T]he ſame Sun vvhich only cheriſheth and gently vvarmes his Countrey men, halfe parboyle and tanne other people, and thoſe rayes vvhich ſcorch the aduſted ſoyles of Calabria and Spaine, only varniſh and guild the green hony-ſuckled plaines and hillocks of England; […]
  2. But the parent, we will ſuppose, cheriſhes his child with an affectionate indulgent care, and with all the circumſpection and aſſiduity that nature requires, in his infirm helpleſs ſtate of infancy; aſſiſts and cheriſhes his underſtanding, in its tender growth does; his utmoſt, according to his ability, to inculcate and impreſs religious principles, […]

Etymology

From Middle English charish, cherishen (“to have affection for, hold dear, treat kindly; to esteem, respect; to cherish; to take care of; to greet; to entertain, treat hospitably; to cheer; to encourage, incite”), from Old French cheriss-, chieriss-, extended stem of cherir, chierir (“to cherish”) (modern French chérir (“to cherish”)), from cher, chier (“dear, dearest”) (from Latin cārus (“beloved, dear”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- (“to desire, wish”)) + -ir (suffix forming infinitives of second conjugation verbs).

This word in other languages

mimar(Español)chérir(Français)hegen(Deutsch)adorar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccherish
  • cehrish
  • cheirsh
  • cherihs
  • cherishh
  • cherissh
  • cherrish
  • chersih
  • chherish
  • chreish
  • hcerish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccherish1cehrish2cheirsh2cherihs2cherishh1cherissh1cherrish1chersih2
Edit distance from "cherish"

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 "cherish"?
"cherish" is spelled C-H-E-R-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/.
What does "cherish" mean?
As a verb, "cherish" means: To treat with affection, care, and tenderness; to nurture or protect with care.
What words are commonly confused with "cherish"?
"cherish" is commonly confused with "Chris", "Christ", "cherished". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cherish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cherish" is /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/. 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 "cherish"?
From Middle English charish, cherishen (“to have affection for, hold dear, treat kindly; to esteem, respect; to cherish; to take care of; to greet; to entertain, treat hospitably; to cheer; to encourage, incite”), from Old French cheriss-, chieris... 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 "cherish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Chennai#14,489chuckle#14,491conceal#14,496cruiser#14,500

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

dickens11 variantsdisable11 variantsanarchy11 variantsexaminer11 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list