Cherokee

/ˌt͡ʃɛ.ɹəˈkiː/

//ˌt͡ʃɛ.ɹəˈkiː// noun

"cherokee" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Cherokee” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,981. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,981
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A member of an indigenous North American people.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cherokee · Cherokee · English

Cherokee · rank #15,981 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,981
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH checklist

Nearest frequency peer: checklist (-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 “Cherokee”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Cherokee” 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
Key facts for Cherokee
PropertyValue
HeadwordCherokee
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌt͡ʃɛ.ɹəˈkiː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#15,981
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Cherokee”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “checklist” (#15,980), “Cheshire” (#15,982), “cervical” (#15,978). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “Cherokee” is #15,981. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around Cherokee (IPA /ˌt͡ʃɛ.ɹəˈkiː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,981 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A member of an indigenous North American people.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Cherokee, with forms such as "ccherokee", "cehrokee", and "cheorkee". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Most likely from the Cherokee autonym ᏣᎳᎩ (tsalagi). Derivation from a Choctaw exonym meaning "those who live in caves" (compare chiluk (“cave”)) has also been suggested — the Iroquois term for the Cherokee was Oyata'ge'ronon (“inhabitants of the cave count… The correct English form is Cherokee, spelled C-H-E-R-O-K-E-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A member of an indigenous North American people.

Etymology

Most likely from the Cherokee autonym ᏣᎳᎩ (tsalagi). Derivation from a Choctaw exonym meaning "those who live in caves" (compare chiluk (“cave”)) has also been suggested — the Iroquois term for the Cherokee was Oyata'ge'ronon (“inhabitants of the cave country”) — as has derivation from a Creek term for "person(s) who speak(s) a non-Creek language" (see celokketv (“to speak a non-creek language”)). Whatever its origin, the ethnonym entered European languages at an early date, perhaps as early as the 1670s; in Spanish, the people are called the Tchalaquei as early as 1755.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccherokee
  • cehrokee
  • cheorkee
  • cherkoee
  • cheroeke
  • cheroke
  • cherokkee
  • cherrokee
  • chherokee
  • chreokee
  • hcerokee

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccherokee1cehrokee2cheorkee2cherkoee2cheroeke2cheroke1cherokkee1cherrokee1
Edit distance from "Cherokee"

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 "Cherokee"?
"Cherokee" is spelled C-H-E-R-O-K-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌt͡ʃɛ.ɹəˈkiː/.
What does "Cherokee" mean?
As a noun, "Cherokee" means: A member of an indigenous North American people.
What are common misspellings of "Cherokee"?
Common misspellings include "ccherokee", "cehrokee", "cheorkee", "cherkoee", "cheroeke". The correct spelling is "Cherokee".
How do you pronounce "Cherokee"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Cherokee" is /ˌt͡ʃɛ.ɹəˈkiː/. 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 "Cherokee"?
Most likely from the Cherokee autonym ᏣᎳᎩ (tsalagi). Derivation from a Choctaw exonym meaning "those who live in caves" (compare chiluk (“cave”)) has also been suggested — the Iroquois term for the Cherokee was Oyata'ge'ronon (“inhabitants of the ... 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 "Cherokee", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list