chickens

/ˈt͡ʃɪkɪnz/

//ˈt͡ʃɪkɪnz// noun

"chickens" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chickens” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,297 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,297
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - plural of chicken

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

chickens vs chicks
75% similar
chickens vs crickets
75% similar
chickens vs chicken
88% similar

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

Key facts for chickens
PropertyValue
Headwordchickens
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈt͡ʃɪkɪnz/
Letters8
Frequency rank#9,297
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chickens” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). chickens lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for chickens is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪnz/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,297 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "plural of chicken".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for chickens, with forms such as "cchickens", "chcikens", and "chhickens". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "chicks", "crickets", "chicken", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is chickens, spelled C-H-I-C-K-E-N-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of chicken

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchickens,chcikens,chhickens,chicckens,chicekns,chickenns,chickenss,chickesn,chickkens,chicknes,chikcens,cihckens,hcickens

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cchickens1chcikens2chhickens1chicckens1chicekns2chickenns1chickenss1chickesn2
Edit distance from "chickens"

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 "chickens"?
"chickens" is spelled C-H-I-C-K-E-N-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪnz/.
What does "chickens" mean?
As a noun, "chickens" means: plural of chicken
What words are commonly confused with "chickens"?
"chickens" is commonly confused with "chicks", "crickets", "chicken". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chickens"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chickens" is /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪnz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chickens" come from?
"chickens" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “chickens”

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-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪnz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “chicks” - see the side-by-side comparison. chickens vs chicks
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list