Chicago
/ʃɪˈkɑ.ɡoʊ/noun
Chicago is spelled C-H-I-C-A-G-O: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 68 times per million words in written English, the 1,562nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, Chicago means “Any of various forms of the game of pool, designed for gambling” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in Chicago?
| Letters | 7: C-H-I-C-A-G-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 68 times per million words; the 1,562nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is Chicago?
Chicago appears 68 times per million words in written English, the 1,562nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce Chicago?
- UK /ʃɪˈkɑː.ɡəʊ/
- US /ʃɪˈkɑ.ɡoʊ/
- US /ʃɪˈkɔ.ɡoʊ/
Chicago has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-Chicago.ogg, En-Chicago.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-Chicago.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What does Chicago mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of various forms of the game of pool, designed for gambling.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does Chicago come from?
From French Chécagou, a transcription of Miami šikaakwa (“wild leek, ramp, Allium tricoccum; striped skunk”), from Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa; compare Ojibwe zhigaagawanzh /zhigaagawinzh (“onion, leek”), zhigaag (“striped skunk”). Doublet of skunk.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).