choice

/tʃɔɪs/

//tʃɔɪs// noun

"choice" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“choice” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #862 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#862
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An option; a decision; an opportunity to choose or select something.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

choice vs chose
67% similar
choice vs choir
67% similar
choice vs choke
67% similar

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

Key facts for choice
PropertyValue
Headwordchoice
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tʃɔɪs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#862
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “choice” 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). choice 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 choice is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /tʃɔɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #862 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for choice, with forms such as "cchoice", "chhoice", and "chioce". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "chose", "choir", "choke", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English chois, from Old French chois (“choice”), from choisir (“to choose, perceive”), possibly via assumed Vulgar Latin *causīre (“to choose”), from Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kausjan, “to make a choice, taste, test, choose”), from Proto-Germanic *… The correct English form is choice, spelled C-H-O-I-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An option; a decision; an opportunity to choose or select something.
  2. 2
    The power to choose.
  3. 3
    One selection or preference; that which is chosen or decided; the outcome of a decision.
  4. 4
    Anything that can be chosen.
  5. 5
    The best or most preferable part.
  6. 6
    Care and judgement in selecting; discrimination, selectiveness.
  7. 7
    A sufficient number to choose among.
  8. 8
    Ellipsis of axiom of choice.

Etymology

From Middle English chois, from Old French chois (“choice”), from choisir (“to choose, perceive”), possibly via assumed Vulgar Latin *causīre (“to choose”), from Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kausjan, “to make a choice, taste, test, choose”), from Proto-Germanic *kauzijaną, from *keusaną (“to choose”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵews- (“to choose”). Akin to Old High German kiosan (“to choose”), Old English ċēosan (“to choose”), Old Norse kjósa (“to choose”). More at choose.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchoice,chhoice,chioce,chocie,choicce,choiec,cohice,hcoice

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of choice - 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.

cchoice1chhoice1chioce2chocie2choicce1choiec2cohice2hcoice2
Edit distance from "choice"

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 "choice"?
"choice" is spelled C-H-O-I-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /tʃɔɪs/.
What does "choice" mean?
As a noun, "choice" means: An option; a decision; an opportunity to choose or select something.
What words are commonly confused with "choice"?
"choice" is commonly confused with "chose", "choir", "choke". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "choice"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "choice" is /tʃɔɪs/. 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 "choice"?
From Middle English chois, from Old French chois (“choice”), from choisir (“to choose, perceive”), possibly via assumed Vulgar Latin *causīre (“to choose”), from Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kausjan, “to make a choice, taste, test, choose”), from Proto-... 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 “choice”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-O-I-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tʃɔɪs/ (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. choice 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.

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

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