chicory

/ˈtʃɪkəɹi/

//ˈtʃɪkəɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“chicory” is uncommon English (frequency #59,953 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,953
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chicory · chicory · English

chicory · rank #59,953 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,953
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH checkbox

Nearest frequency peer: checkbox (-2 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 “chicory”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for chicory
PropertyValue
Headwordchicory
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtʃɪkəɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#59,953
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “chicory” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).chicoryfalls 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: “checkbox” (#59,951), “celebrant” (#59,948), “Carrara” (#59,944). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chicory” is #59,953. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

chicory is uncommon English at frequency #59,953 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtʃɪkəɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for chicory, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English cicoree, cicory, cicorea, sicory, sycory (“common chicory (Cichorium intybus); heliotrope”), from Old French cicoree (modern French chicorée (“common chicory; endive; coffee substitute made from common chicory”)), or directly from i… The correct English form is chicory, spelled C-H-I-C-O-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family.
  2. 2
    Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family.
  3. 3
    Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family.
  4. 4
    A coffee substitute made from the roasted roots of the common chicory, sometimes used as a cheap adulterant in real coffee.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Endive—is another species of chicory, and a native of the East Indies. It was introduced into this country in 1548, is a hardy annual, requires a rich soil to secure its rapid maturity, and is blanched by tying up the leaves when it has attained its full growth. [...] It is used as a salad, ragout, or as a constituent of soups, &c.; and is considered very…
  2. The eating is beautiful; that must be allowed. Two soups, three fishes, five roast chickens, and a piece of veal, stewed with cherries; a dish of chops with chickory, and a meat-pie garnished with cockscombs— [...]

Etymology

From Late Middle English cicoree, cicory, cicorea, sicory, sycory (“common chicory (Cichorium intybus); heliotrope”), from Old French cicoree (modern French chicorée (“common chicory; endive; coffee substitute made from common chicory”)), or directly from its etymon Medieval Latin cicorea, cichorea, *cichōria, from Latin cichorium, cichoreum (“common chicory; endive”), from Ancient Greek κίχορα (kíkhora), κιχόρεια (kikhóreia), neuter plural of κιχώριον (kikhṓrion, “chicory”). The English word is cognate with Italian cicórea, and is a doublet of succory.

This word in other languages

achicoria(Español)chicorée(Français)Wegwarte(Deutsch)chicória(Português)

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 "chicory"?
"chicory" is spelled C-H-I-C-O-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtʃɪkəɹi/.
What does "chicory" mean?
As a noun, "chicory" means: Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family.
How do you pronounce "chicory"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chicory" is /ˈtʃɪkəɹi/. 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 "chicory"?
From Late Middle English cicoree, cicory, cicorea, sicory, sycory (“common chicory (Cichorium intybus); heliotrope”), from Old French cicoree (modern French chicorée (“common chicory; endive; coffee substitute made from common chicory”)), or direc... 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 "chicory", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Carrara#59,944Colburn#59,968brining#59,924coulomb#59,984

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list