chide

/ t͡ʃaɪd/

// t͡ʃaɪd// verb

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

"chide" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chide” is uncommon English (frequency #76,635 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,635
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To admonish in blame; to reproach angrily.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chide · chide · English

chide · rank #76,635 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #76,635
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cheesed

Nearest frequency peer: cheesed (-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 “chide”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for chide
PropertyValue
Headwordchide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ t͡ʃaɪd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#76,635
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “chide” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).chidefalls 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: “cheesed” (#76,634), “childishly” (#76,636), “cheapen” (#76,633). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chide” is #76,635. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

chide is uncommon English at frequency #76,635 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed / t͡ʃaɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for chide in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chiden (“to chide, rebuke, disapprove, criticize; complain, grumble, dispute; argue, debate, dispute, quarrel”), from Old English ċīdan (“to chide, reprove, rebuke; blame, contend, strive, quarrel, complain”). Cognate with German kiden (… The correct English form is chide, spelled C-H-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To admonish in blame; to reproach angrily.
  2. 2
    To utter words of disapprobation and displeasure; to find fault; to contend angrily.
  3. 3
    To make a clamorous noise; to chafe.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Valentine: Well, you’ll still be too forward. Speed: And yet I was last chidden for being too slow.
  2. Whiles you chid me, I did love; How then might your prayers move!

Etymology

From Middle English chiden (“to chide, rebuke, disapprove, criticize; complain, grumble, dispute; argue, debate, dispute, quarrel”), from Old English ċīdan (“to chide, reprove, rebuke; blame, contend, strive, quarrel, complain”). Cognate with German kiden (“to sound”); Old High German kīdal (“wedge”).

This word in other languages

reprender(Español)réprimander(Français)schelten(Deutsch)ralhar(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 "chide"?
"chide" is spelled C-H-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is / t͡ʃaɪd/.
What does "chide" mean?
As a verb, "chide" means: To admonish in blame; to reproach angrily.
How do you pronounce "chide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chide" is / t͡ʃaɪd/. 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 "chide"?
From Middle English chiden (“to chide, rebuke, disapprove, criticize; complain, grumble, dispute; argue, debate, dispute, quarrel”), from Old English ċīdan (“to chide, reprove, rebuke; blame, contend, strive, quarrel, complain”). Cognate with Germ... 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 "chide", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

caned#76,616caird#76,612boeuf#76,588cruse#76,682

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list