chervil
/ˈt͡ʃɜː(ɹ)vɪl/
"chervil" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“chervil” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A leafy herb, Anthriscus cerefolium, resembling parsley.
Corpus desk
Index EN-chervil · chervil · English
chervil · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | chervil |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈt͡ʃɜː(ɹ)vɪl/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “chervil” in English
Rare enough to double-check
chervil is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈt͡ʃɜː(ɹ)vɪl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
chervil doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chervell, from Old English cerfille, from Anglo-Norman chervele (compare Jèrriais chèrfi), from Latin caerefolium, from Ancient Greek χαιρέφυλλον (khairéphullon). The correct English form is chervil, spelled C-H-E-R-V-I-L.
Definition
- 1A leafy herb, Anthriscus cerefolium, resembling parsley.
- 2Leaves from the plant, used as an herb in cooking, which have a mild flavor of anise.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how chervil appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The life of one plant would be affected by another. Rue was definitely hostile to basil, rosemary to hyssop, but coriander, dill and chervil lived on the friendliest of terms[.]
No herb, except perhaps tarragon, is quite so French as chervil, an association that is not surprising for a nation known for its celebration of fine food and the subtle use of herbs.
Etymology
From Middle English chervell, from Old English cerfille, from Anglo-Norman chervele (compare Jèrriais chèrfi), from Latin caerefolium, from Ancient Greek χαιρέφυλλον (khairéphullon).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.