chicken

/ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/

//ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn// noun

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

"chicken" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chicken” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,334. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,334
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus).

Corpus desk

Index EN-chicken · chicken · English

chicken · rank #2,334 · 11 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,334
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH causes

Nearest frequency peer: causes (-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 “chicken”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “chicken” 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).

chicken vs chicks
71% similar
chicken vs cricket
71% similar
chicken vs clicked
71% similar

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

Key facts for chicken
PropertyValue
Headwordchicken
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,334
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “chicken”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).chickenlands 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 “causes” (#2,333), “collected” (#2,335), “bowl” (#2,332). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chicken” is #2,334. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around chicken (IPA /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,334 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for chicken, with forms such as "cchicken", "chciken", and "chhicken". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "chicks", "cricket", "clicked", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chiken (also as chike > English chick), from Old English ċicen, ċycen (“chicken”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *kiukīn (“chicken”), or alternatively from Proto-West Germanic *kukkīn, equivalent to cock + -en. C… The correct English form is chicken, spelled C-H-I-C-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus).
  2. 2
    The meat from this bird eaten as food.
  3. 3
    The young of any bird; a chick.
  4. 4
    A coward.
  5. 5
    A young or inexperienced person.
  6. 6
    A young, attractive, slim man, usually having little body hair; compare chickenhawk.
  7. 7
    The game of dare.
  8. 8
    The game of dare.
  9. 9
    A simple dance in which the movements of a chicken are imitated.
  10. 10
    A kilogram of cocaine.
  11. 11
    A small pewter pot used in a tavern.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. backyard chickens
  2. barnyard chickens

Etymology

From Middle English chiken (also as chike > English chick), from Old English ċicen, ċycen (“chicken”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *kiukīn (“chicken”), or alternatively from Proto-West Germanic *kukkīn, equivalent to cock + -en. Compare North Frisian schückling (“chicken”), Saterland Frisian Sjuuken (“chicken”), Dutch kuiken (“chick, chicken”), German Low German Küken (“chick”), whence German Küken (“chick”), (elevated, obsolete) German Küchlein (“chick”) and Old Norse kjúklingr (“chicken”).

Synonyms

biddychookcowardspring chickentwink

This word in other languages

pollo(Español)poulet(Français)Huhn(Deutsch)frango(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchicken
  • chciken
  • chhicken
  • chiccken
  • chicekn
  • chickenn
  • chickken
  • chickne
  • chikcen
  • cihcken
  • hcicken

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cchicken1chciken2chhicken1chiccken1chicekn2chickenn1chickken1chickne2
Edit distance from "chicken"

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 "chicken"?
"chicken" is spelled C-H-I-C-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/.
What does "chicken" mean?
As a noun, "chicken" means: A domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus).
What words are commonly confused with "chicken"?
"chicken" is commonly confused with "chicks", "cricket", "clicked". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chicken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chicken" is /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/. 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 "chicken"?
From Middle English chiken (also as chike > English chick), from Old English ċicen, ċycen (“chicken”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *kiukīn (“chicken”), or alternatively from Proto-West Germanic *kukkīn, equivalent to coc... 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 "chicken", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

context#2,336display#2,339besides#2,328elected#2,341

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

coverage11 variantsfunding11 variantsstrange11 variantsflowers11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list