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” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,219. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,219
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chip · chip · English

chip · rank #4,219 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,219
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH checks

Nearest frequency peer: checks (-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 “chip”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “chip” 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).

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 →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around chip (IPA /t͡ʃʰɪp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,219 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 22 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The floor of the sculptor's studio was strewn with chips of marble.
  2. The universe is finished; the copestone is on, and the chips were carted off a million years ago.

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.

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 "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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "chip", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

dare#4,222bite#4,213jazz#4,244mask#4,251

Similar misspelling depth

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

tissue6 variantsrick6 variantspiano6 variantsSaudi6 variants

What to do next

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

  • "chip" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "cp". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #4,219 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