chic

/ʃiːk/

//ʃiːk// adj

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

"chic" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chic” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,517. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,517
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Elegant, stylish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chic · chic · English

chic · rank #11,517 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,517
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cardiovascular

Nearest frequency peer: cardiovascular (-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 “chic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “chic” 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).

chic vs ci
50% similar
chic vs CIA
0% similar
chic vs cis
50% similar

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

Key facts for chic
PropertyValue
Headwordchic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʃiːk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#11,517
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “chic”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).chiclands 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 “cardiovascular” (#11,516), “clone” (#11,518), “Byron” (#11,515). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chic” is #11,517. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around chic (IPA /ʃiːk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,517 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Elegant, stylish.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for chic, with forms such as "cchic", "chci", and "chhic". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ci", "CIA", "cis", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French chic (“elegant”), which in turn is probably borrowed from German Schick (“elegant appearance; tasteful presentation”). The word is akin to Dutch schielijk (“hasty”), schikken (“to arrange”) and Old English sċēon (“to happen”). The correct English form is chic, spelled C-H-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Elegant, stylish.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mrs. Hominy, sir, is the lady of Major Hominy, one of our chicest spirits; and belongs Toe^([sic]) one of our most aristocratic families.
  2. As he wisht to micks with the very chicest sosaity, and git the best of infmation about this country, Munseer Jools of coarse went and lodgd in Lester Square— […]

Etymology

Borrowed from French chic (“elegant”), which in turn is probably borrowed from German Schick (“elegant appearance; tasteful presentation”). The word is akin to Dutch schielijk (“hasty”), schikken (“to arrange”) and Old English sċēon (“to happen”).

Synonyms

chichiclassydapperfashionablenattysmarttrendyvoguish

Antonyms

dowdyinelegantunelegantunchicunfashionableunstylish

This word in other languages

chic(Español)chic(Français)schick(Deutsch)chique(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchic
  • chci
  • chhic
  • chicc
  • cihc
  • hcic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chic - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cchic1chci2chhic1chicc1cihc2hcic2
Edit distance from "chic"

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 "chic"?
"chic" is spelled C-H-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃiːk/.
What does "chic" mean?
As an adjective, "chic" means: Elegant, stylish.
What words are commonly confused with "chic"?
"chic" is commonly confused with "ci", "CIA", "cis". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chic" is /ʃiːk/. 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 "chic"?
Borrowed from French chic (“elegant”), which in turn is probably borrowed from German Schick (“elegant appearance; tasteful presentation”). The word is akin to Dutch schielijk (“hasty”), schikken (“to arrange”) and Old English sċēon (“to happen”). 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 "chic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Erik#11,538Erin#11,539watt#11,494Thor#11,480

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

jewel6 variantsmans6 variantsMarx6 variantsmets6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list