chin

Name: chin, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/t͡ʃɪn/

//t͡ʃɪn// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“chin” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,106 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,106
frequency rank, English: 4
letters: 6
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The bottom of a face, (specifically) the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.

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
Property	Value
Headword	chin
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/t͡ʃɪn/
Letters	4
Frequency rank	#7,106
Misspellings tracked	6
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (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:

#7,106

#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 chin is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /t͡ʃɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,106 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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.

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.

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"?

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 “chin”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is C-H-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /t͡ʃɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “ci” - see the side-by-side comparison. chin vs ci
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.