chiffon

/ʃɪˈfɑn/

//ʃɪˈfɑn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“chiffon” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,377. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,377
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lightweight, balanced plain-woven sheer fabric, or gauze, like gossamer, woven of alternate S- and Z-twist crepe (high-twist) yarns made of silk, polyester, or cotton.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chiffon · chiffon · English

chiffon · rank #37,377 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,377
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH chested

Nearest frequency peer: chested (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “chiffon”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “chiffon” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chiffon vs Chiron
57% similar
chiffon vs Clifton
57% similar
chiffon vs Chilton
57% similar

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

Key facts for chiffon
PropertyValue
Headwordchiffon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ʃɪˈfɑn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#37,377
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “chiffon”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “chested” (#37,376), “chirp” (#37,378), “centipede” (#37,375). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chiffon” is #37,377. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around chiffon (IPA /ʃɪˈfɑn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,377 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for chiffon, with forms such as "cchiffon", "chfifon", and "chhiffon". 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, "Chiron", "Clifton", "Chilton", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French chiffon, from Middle French chiffe (“cloth, old rag”), from Old French chipe (“rag”), from Middle English chip, chippe (“chip, shard, fragment”), from Old English ċipp (“chip, splinter, shaving”); see chip. The correct English form is chiffon, spelled C-H-I-F-F-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lightweight, balanced plain-woven sheer fabric, or gauze, like gossamer, woven of alternate S- and Z-twist crepe (high-twist) yarns made of silk, polyester, or cotton.
  2. 2
    Any purely ornamental accessory on a woman's dress, such as a bunch of ribbon, lace, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Her dresses are made from these marvelous chiffons.

Etymology

Borrowed from French chiffon, from Middle French chiffe (“cloth, old rag”), from Old French chipe (“rag”), from Middle English chip, chippe (“chip, shard, fragment”), from Old English ċipp (“chip, splinter, shaving”); see chip.

This word in other languages

gasa(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchiffon
  • chfifon
  • chhiffon
  • chiffno
  • chiffonn
  • chifofn
  • chifon
  • cihffon
  • hciffon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cchiffon1chfifon2chhiffon1chiffno2chiffonn1chifofn2chifon1cihffon2
Edit distance from "chiffon"

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 "chiffon"?
"chiffon" is spelled C-H-I-F-F-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃɪˈfɑn/.
What does "chiffon" mean?
As a noun, "chiffon" means: A lightweight, balanced plain-woven sheer fabric, or gauze, like gossamer, woven of alternate S- and Z-twist crepe (high-twist) yarns made of silk, polyester, or cotton.
What words are commonly confused with "chiffon"?
"chiffon" is commonly confused with "Chiron", "Clifton", "Chilton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chiffon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chiffon" is /ʃɪˈfɑn/. 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 "chiffon"?
Borrowed from French chiffon, from Middle French chiffe (“cloth, old rag”), from Old French chipe (“rag”), from Middle English chip, chippe (“chip, shard, fragment”), from Old English ċipp (“chip, splinter, shaving”); see chip. 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 "chiffon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

chested#37,376centaur#37,374coaxial#37,385Corsica#37,399

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Colman9 variantsCondon9 variantsbushel9 variantsboyish9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list