chisel
/ˈt͡ʃɪzəl/
"chisel" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“chisel” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #30,363 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #30,363
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A cutting tool used to remove parts of stone, wood or metal by pushing or pounding the back when the sharp edge is against the material. It consists of a slim, oblong block of metal with a sharp we...
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | chisel |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈt͡ʃɪzəl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #30,363 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “chisel” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for chisel is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈt͡ʃɪzəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #30,363 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for chisel, with forms such as "cchisel", "chhisel", and "chiesl". 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, "chose", "chosen", "crises", 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 chisel, chesel, from Old Northern French chisel, cisel, from cisoir (with a change in suffix), from Late Latin cīsōrium (“cutting tool”), from Latin caedō (“cut”). Doublet of scissors. The correct English form is chisel, spelled C-H-I-S-E-L.
Definition
- 1A cutting tool used to remove parts of stone, wood or metal by pushing or pounding the back when the sharp edge is against the material. It consists of a slim, oblong block of metal with a sharp wedge or bevel formed on one end and sometimes a handle at the other end; there are hand tool versions (the original type) and versions as bits for power tools.
- 2A part of any of various tools or devices that has an analogous purpose, cutting raw material or a workpiece during the process that the tool or device performs.
- 3A part of any of various tools or devices that has an analogous purpose, cutting raw material or a workpiece during the process that the tool or device performs.
Etymology
From Middle English chisel, chesel, from Old Northern French chisel, cisel, from cisoir (with a change in suffix), from Late Latin cīsōrium (“cutting tool”), from Latin caedō (“cut”). Doublet of scissors.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: cchisel,chhisel,chiesl,chisell,chisle,chissel,chsiel,cihsel,hcisel
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chisel - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “chisel”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-H-I-S-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈt͡ʃɪzəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “chose” - see the side-by-side comparison. chisel vs chose
- 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.