choke

/t͡ʃəʊk/

//t͡ʃəʊk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“choke” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,824 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#10,824
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe (for instance food or other objects that go down the wrong way, or fumes or particles in the air that cause the throat to constrict).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

choke vs Coe
40% similar
choke vs come
60% similar
choke vs code
60% similar

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

Key facts for choke
PropertyValue
Headwordchoke
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/t͡ʃəʊk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,824
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “choke” 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). choke 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 choke is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /t͡ʃəʊk/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,824 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 15 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 choke, with forms such as "cchoke", "chhoke", and "chkoe". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Coe", "come", "code", 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 choken (also cheken), from earlier acheken, from Old English āċēocian (“to choke”), probably derived from Old English ċēoce, ċēace (“jaw, cheek”), see cheek. Cognate with Icelandic kok (“throat”), koka (“to gulp”). See also achoke. The correct English form is choke, spelled C-H-O-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe (for instance food or other objects that go down the wrong way, or fumes or particles in the air that cause the throat to constrict).
  2. 2
    To prevent (someone) from breathing or talking by strangling or filling the windpipe.
  3. 3
    To obstruct (a passage, etc.) by filling it up or clogging it.
  4. 4
    To hinder or check, as growth, expansion, progress, etc.; to kill (a plant by robbing it of nutrients); to extinguish (fire by robbing it of oxygen).
  5. 5
    To perform badly at a crucial stage of a competition, especially when one appears to be clearly winning.
  6. 6
    To move one's fingers very close to the tip of a pencil, brush or other art tool.
  7. 7
    To hold the club or bat lower on the shaft in order to shorten one's swing.
  8. 8
    To be checked or stopped, as if by choking
  9. 9
    To check or stop (an utterance or voice) as if by choking.
  10. 10
    To have a feeling of strangulation in one's throat as a result of passion or strong emotion.
  11. 11
    To give (someone) a feeling of strangulation as a result of passion or strong emotion.
  12. 12
    To say (something) with one’s throat constricted (due to emotion, for example).
  13. 13
    To use the choke valve of (a vehicle) to adjust the air/fuel mixture in the engine.
  14. 14
    To reach a condition of maximum flowrate, due to the flow at the narrowest point of the duct becoming sonic (Ma = 1).
  15. 15
    To make or install a choke, as in a cartridge, or in the bore of the barrel of a shotgun.

Etymology

From Middle English choken (also cheken), from earlier acheken, from Old English āċēocian (“to choke”), probably derived from Old English ċēoce, ċēace (“jaw, cheek”), see cheek. Cognate with Icelandic kok (“throat”), koka (“to gulp”). See also achoke.

This word in other languages

sofocarse(Español)suffoquer(Français)ersticken(Deutsch)sufocar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchoke,chhoke,chkoe,choek,chokke,cohke,hcoke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cchoke1chhoke1chkoe2choek2chokke1cohke2hcoke2
Edit distance from "choke"

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 "choke"?
"choke" is spelled C-H-O-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /t͡ʃəʊk/.
What does "choke" mean?
As a verb, "choke" means: To be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe (for instance food or other objects that go down the wrong way, or fumes or particles in the air that cause the throat to constrict).
What words are commonly confused with "choke"?
"choke" is commonly confused with "Coe", "come", "code". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "choke"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "choke" is /t͡ʃəʊk/. 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 "choke"?
From Middle English choken (also cheken), from earlier acheken, from Old English āċēocian (“to choke”), probably derived from Old English ċēoce, ċēace (“jaw, cheek”), see cheek. Cognate with Icelandic kok (“throat”), koka (“to gulp”). See also ach... 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 “choke”

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

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