chin

/t͡ʃɪn/

//t͡ʃɪn// noun

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

"chin" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chin” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,106. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,106
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The bottom of a face, (specifically) the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chin · chin · English

chin · rank #7,106 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,106
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH chan

Nearest frequency peer: chan (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “chin”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “chin” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

chin vs ci
50% similar
chin vs CNN
0% similar
chin vs con
50% similar

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

Key facts for chin
PropertyValue
Headwordchin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/t͡ʃɪn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,106
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chin” 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). chin lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around chin (IPA /t͡ʃɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,106 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for chin, with forms such as "cchin", "chhin", and "chinn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ci", "CNN", "con", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chyn, from Old English ċinn (“chin”), from Proto-West Germanic *kinnu, from Proto-Germanic *kinnuz (“chin”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénus (“chin, jaw”). Compare West Frisian/Dutch kin, Low German/German Kinn, Danish kind, Icelandic ki… The correct English form is chin, spelled C-H-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The bottom of a face, (specifically) the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
  2. 2
    Talk.
  3. 3
    A lie, a falsehood.
  4. 4
    A person of the upper class.
  5. 5
    The ability to withstand being punched in the chin without being knocked out.
  6. 6
    The lower part of the front of an aircraft, below the nose.
  7. 7
    The bottom part of a mobile phone, below the screen.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. What does it mean to have a pointy chin instead of a flat chin?
  2. To paint chins of aircraft

Etymology

From Middle English chyn, from Old English ċinn (“chin”), from Proto-West Germanic *kinnu, from Proto-Germanic *kinnuz (“chin”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénus (“chin, jaw”). Compare West Frisian/Dutch kin, Low German/German Kinn, Danish kind, Icelandic kinn, Welsh gen, Latin gena, Tocharian A śanweṃ, Ancient Greek γένυς (génus, “jaw”), Armenian ծնոտ (cnot), Persian چانه (čâne), Sanskrit हनु (hánu). Doublet of gena.

This word in other languages

barbilla(Español)menton(Français)Kinn(Deutsch)queixo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchin
  • chhin
  • chinn
  • chni
  • cihn
  • hcin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chin - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cchin1chhin1chinn1chni2cihn2hcin2
Edit distance from "chin"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "chin"?
"chin" is spelled C-H-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /t͡ʃɪn/.
What does "chin" mean?
As a noun, "chin" means: The bottom of a face, (specifically) the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
What words are commonly confused with "chin"?
"chin" is commonly confused with "ci", "CNN", "con". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chin" is /t͡ʃɪn/. 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 "chin"?
From Middle English chyn, from Old English ċinn (“chin”), from Proto-West Germanic *kinnu, from Proto-Germanic *kinnuz (“chin”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénus (“chin, jaw”). Compare West Frisian/Dutch kin, Low German/German Kinn, Danish kind, Ic... 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 "chin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

chan#7,105coup#7,113dash#7,116wipe#7,086

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

acute6 variantswhip6 variantsindie6 variantsjerk6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "chin". Here's where to go from here.

  • "chin" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "ci". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #7,106 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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