chickenpox

/ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks/

//ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks// noun

"chickenpox" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chickenpox” is uncommon English (frequency #54,687 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,687
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Alternative form of chicken pox.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chickenpox · chickenpox · English

chickenpox · rank #54,687 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,687
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cheep

Nearest frequency peer: cheep (-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 “chickenpox”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for chickenpox
PropertyValue
Headwordchickenpox
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks/
Letters10
Frequency rank#54,687
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “chickenpox” in English

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).chickenpoxfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “cheep” (#54,686), “chapstick” (#54,684), “Cirencester” (#54,690). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chickenpox” is #54,687. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

chickenpox is uncommon English at frequency #54,687 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Alternative form of chicken pox.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for chickenpox, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is chickenpox, spelled C-H-I-C-K-E-N-P-O-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative form of chicken pox.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Chickenpox parties, at which children gather so they can all be infected by a child who has the pox, are often held by parents who distrust chickenpox vaccine or want their children to have the stronger immunity that surviving a full-blown infection affords.
  2. Not a rite-of-passage rash-and-fever, not a week eating ice cream on the sofa, this was not chickenpox but a biblical plague the month before he turned two, his skinny frame covered entire with pennysized bulbs sagging, fat with neon green pus, as though he had been mummified in bubble wrap, victim of the world's bees, skin around the pustules souffléd wi…

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 "chickenpox"?
"chickenpox" is spelled C-H-I-C-K-E-N-P-O-X. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks/.
What does "chickenpox" mean?
As a noun, "chickenpox" means: Alternative form of chicken pox.
How do you pronounce "chickenpox"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chickenpox" is /ˈt͡ʃɪ.k(ə)nˌpɑks/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chickenpox" come from?
"chickenpox" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "chickenpox", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list