chicken pox
/ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks/
"chicken-pox" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“chicken pox” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The blisters formed by the varicella zoster virus (VZV).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | chicken pox |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “chicken pox” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
chicken pox is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for chicken pox in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From chicken + pox, under the influence of earlier hen-pox and swinepox, which formed larger blisters. The correct English form is chicken pox, spelled C-H-I-C-K-E-N- -P-O-X.
Definition
- 1The blisters formed by the varicella zoster virus (VZV).
- 2The highly contagious airborne disease caused by initial infection with varicella zoster virus, typically causing a skin rash that forms small itchy blisters.
- 3Any disease causing similar symptoms.
Etymology
From chicken + pox, under the influence of earlier hen-pox and swinepox, which formed larger blisters.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “chicken pox”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-H-I-C-K-E-N- -P-O-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.