chip

/t͡ʃʰɪp/

//t͡ʃʰɪp// noun

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

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

The verdict

“chip” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,219 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,219
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chip vs cp
50% similar
chip vs ci
50% similar
chip vs cup
50% similar

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

Key facts for chip
PropertyValue
Headwordchip
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/t͡ʃʰɪp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,219
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chip” 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). chip lands here:

#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 chip is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /t͡ʃʰɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,219 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 22 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 chip, with forms such as "cchip", "chhip", and "chipp". 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, "cp", "ci", "cup", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Noun from Middle English chip, chippe, from Old English ċipp (“chip; small piece of wood, shaving”), from Old English *ċippian (“to cut; hew”) – attested in Old English forċippian (“to cut off”) –, from Proto-West Germanic *kippōn (“to cut; carve; hack; cho… The correct English form is chip, spelled C-H-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material.
  2. 2
    A damaged area of a surface where a small piece has been broken off.
  3. 3
    A token used in place of cash.
  4. 4
    A medallion.
  5. 5
    A sovereign (the coin).
  6. 6
    A circuit fabricated in one piece on a small, thin substrate; a microchip.
  7. 7
    A hybrid device mounted in a substrate, containing electronic circuitry and miniaturised mechanical, chemical or biochemical devices.
  8. 8
    A deep-fried strip of potato; see also usage note at french fries.
  9. 9
    A thin, crisp, fried slice of potato, a crisp; occasionally a similar fried slice of another vegetable or dried fruit.
  10. 10
    A type of shot in various sports.
  11. 11
    A type of shot in various sports.
  12. 12
    A type of shot in various sports.
  13. 13
    A type of shot in various sports.
  14. 14
    A type of shot in various sports.
  15. 15
    A dried piece of dung, often used as fuel.
  16. 16
    A receptacle, usually for strawberries or other fruit.
  17. 17
    A small, near-conical piece of food added in baking.
  18. 18
    A small rectangle of colour printed on coated paper for colour selection and matching. A virtual equivalent in software applications.
  19. 19
    The triangular piece of wood attached to the log line.
  20. 20
    Wood or Cuban palm leaf split into slips, or straw plaited in a special manner, for making hats or bonnets.
  21. 21
    Anything dried up, withered, or without flavour.
  22. 22
    The smallest amount; a whit or jot.

Etymology

Noun from Middle English chip, chippe, from Old English ċipp (“chip; small piece of wood, shaving”), from Old English *ċippian (“to cut; hew”) – attested in Old English forċippian (“to cut off”) –, from Proto-West Germanic *kippōn (“to cut; carve; hack; chop”), from Proto-Germanic *kippōną (“to chip, chop”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeyb- (“to split; divide; germinate; sprout”). Related to Dutch kip, keep (“notch; nick; score”), Dutch kippen (“to hatch”), German Low German kippen (“to cut; clip; trim; shorten”), German kipfen (“to chop off the tip; snip”), Old Swedish kippa (“to chop”). Compare also chop. The formally similar Old English ċipp, ċypp, ċyp (“a beam; log; stock; post”), from Proto-Germanic *kippaz (“log; beam”) (whence Old Saxon kip (“post”), Old High German kipfa, chipfa (“axle, stave”), Old Norse keppr (“cudgel, club”)) is a different, unrelated word either borrowed from Latin cippus (“stake; pale; post”) or borrowed from the same source language as the Latin. Verb from Middle English chippen, from Old English *ċippian (“to cut; hew”) – attested in Old English forċippian (“to cut off”) – see above.

This word in other languages

astilla(Español)brisure(Français)Splitter(Deutsch)fragmento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchip,chhip,chipp,chpi,cihp,hcip

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chip - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

cchip1chhip1chipp1chpi2cihp2hcip2
Edit distance from "chip"

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 "chip"?
"chip" is spelled C-H-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /t͡ʃʰɪp/.
What does "chip" mean?
As a noun, "chip" means: A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material.
What words are commonly confused with "chip"?
"chip" is commonly confused with "cp", "ci", "cup". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chip"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chip" is /t͡ʃʰɪp/. 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 "chip"?
Noun from Middle English chip, chippe, from Old English ċipp (“chip; small piece of wood, shaving”), from Old English *ċippian (“to cut; hew”) – attested in Old English forċippian (“to cut off”) –, from Proto-West Germanic *kippōn (“to cut; carve;... 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.

Using “chip”

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

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list