chessboard

noun

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

"chessboard" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chessboard” is uncommon English (frequency #53,441 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,441
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The square board used in the game of chess, subdivided into eight rows of eight squares each, the squares in each row and column being of alternating colours.

Key facts for chessboard
PropertyValue
Headwordchessboard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#53,441
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chessboard” 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). chessboard 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

chessboard is uncommon English at frequency #53,441 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for chessboard in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From chess + board. The correct English form is chessboard, spelled C-H-E-S-S-B-O-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The square board used in the game of chess, subdivided into eight rows of eight squares each, the squares in each row and column being of alternating colours.
  2. 2
    A mathematical construction based on this pattern of squares

Etymology

From chess + board.

This word in other languages

échiquier(Français)Schachbrett(Deutsch)

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 "chessboard"?
"chessboard" is spelled C-H-E-S-S-B-O-A-R-D.
What does "chessboard" mean?
As a noun, "chessboard" means: The square board used in the game of chess, subdivided into eight rows of eight squares each, the squares in each row and column being of alternating colours.
What is the origin of the word "chessboard"?
From chess + board. 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 “chessboard”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-E-S-S-B-O-A-R-D - 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