chichi

/ˈʃi.ʃi/

//ˈʃi.ʃi// adj

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

"chichi" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chichi” is uncommon English (frequency #66,560 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,560
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chichi · chichi · English

chichi · rank #66,560 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,560
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Chenoweth

Nearest frequency peer: Chenoweth (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “chichi”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “chichi” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for chichi
PropertyValue
Headwordchichi
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈʃi.ʃi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#66,560
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “chichi” in English

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).chichifalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Chenoweth” (#66,559), “Chihiro” (#66,561), “cheerfulness” (#66,558). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chichi” is #66,560. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

chichi is uncommon English at frequency #66,560 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈʃi.ʃi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for chichi in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French chichi. The correct English form is chichi, spelled C-H-I-C-H-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Going in gangs to those chichi clubs at Maidenhead.
  2. We drove up the mountain and found the narrow streets chock full of chichi tourists.

Etymology

Borrowed from French chichi.

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 "chichi"?
"chichi" is spelled C-H-I-C-H-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃi.ʃi/.
What does "chichi" mean?
As an adjective, "chichi" means: Affectedly trendy; chic and stylish in a pretentious way.
How do you pronounce "chichi"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chichi" is /ˈʃi.ʃi/. 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 "chichi"?
Borrowed from French chichi. 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 "chichi", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

buccal#66,527bryony#66,526Bootle#66,518bended#66,505

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list