choir

/kwaɪə(ɹ)/

//kwaɪə(ɹ)// noun

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

"choir" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“choir” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,522 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,522
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A group of people who sing together; a company of people who are trained to sing together.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

choir vs cor
60% similar
choir vs CHR
0% similar
choir vs coin
60% similar

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

Key facts for choir
PropertyValue
Headwordchoir
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kwaɪə(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#8,522
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “choir” 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). choir 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 choir is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kwaɪə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,522 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for choir, with forms such as "cchoir", "chhoir", and "chior". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cor", "CHR", "coin", 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 quer, quere, from Old French quer, from Latin chorus, from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós, “company of dancers or singers”). Modern spelling influenced by chorus and French chœur. Doublet of quire, chorus, and hora. The correct English form is choir, spelled C-H-O-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A group of people who sing together; a company of people who are trained to sing together.
  2. 2
    One quarter of a cruciform church, or the architectural area of a church, generally used by the choir; often near the apse.
  3. 3
    One of the nine ranks or orders of angels.
  4. 4
    Set of strings (one per note) for a harpsichord.

Etymology

From Middle English quer, quere, from Old French quer, from Latin chorus, from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós, “company of dancers or singers”). Modern spelling influenced by chorus and French chœur. Doublet of quire, chorus, and hora.

This word in other languages

coro(Español)chœur(Français)Chor(Deutsch)coro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchoir,chhoir,chior,choirr,chori,cohir,hcoir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of choir - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cchoir1chhoir1chior2choirr1chori2cohir2hcoir2
Edit distance from "choir"

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 "choir"?
"choir" is spelled C-H-O-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is /kwaɪə(ɹ)/.
What does "choir" mean?
As a noun, "choir" means: A group of people who sing together; a company of people who are trained to sing together.
What words are commonly confused with "choir"?
"choir" is commonly confused with "cor", "CHR", "coin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "choir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "choir" is /kwaɪə(ɹ)/. 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 "choir"?
From Middle English quer, quere, from Old French quer, from Latin chorus, from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós, “company of dancers or singers”). Modern spelling influenced by chorus and French chœur. Doublet of quire, chorus, and hora. 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 “choir”

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

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