# Chicago

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ʃɪˈkɑː.ɡəʊ/ · frequency rank #1,556

## Definitions
1. A large city, the county seat of Cook County, in northeastern Illinois, United States, located on Lake Michigan.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
French Chécagoubor.
English Chicago
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.

## Easily confused with
- **chico** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chicago-vs-chico)
- **Chicano** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chicago-vs-chicano)
- **chica** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chica-vs-chicago)

## Common misspellings (10)
`cchicago`, `chciago`, `chhicago`, `chiacgo`, `chicaggo`, `chicaog`, `chiccago`, `chicgao`, `cihcago`, `hcicago`

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