# chess

> English word · Noun · IPA /t͡ʃɛs/ · frequency rank #7,776

## Definitions
1. A board game for two players, each beginning with sixteen chess pieces moving according to fixed rules across a chessboard with the objective to checkmate the opposing king.

## Etymology
From Middle English ches, chesse, from Old French eschés, plural of eschec, from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king [in chess]”), from Classical Persian شاه (šāh, “shah, king”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/).
Compare German Schach and Italian scacchi. Compare French échecs (“chess”) and its descendants: Catalan escacs and Dutch schaak. More at check and shah (“king of Persia or Iran”).

## Easily confused with
- **CSS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-css)
- **chew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chew)
- **cues** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-cues)
- **Chet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chet)
- **chez** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chez)
- **cuss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-cuss)
- **class** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-class)
- **cross** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-cross)
- **Chris** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chris)
- **chose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chose)
- **chest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chest)
- **chips** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chips)
- **crews** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-crews)
- **crest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-crest)
- **chevy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chevy)
- **chops** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chops)
- **crass** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-crass)
- **chewy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chewy)
- **chews** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chews)
- **chins** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chess-vs-chins)

## Common misspellings (6)
`cchess`, `cehss`, `ches`, `chhess`, `chses`, `hcess`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/chess