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” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,824. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,824
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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).

Corpus desk

Index EN-choke · choke · English

choke · rank #10,824 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,824
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cholesterol

Nearest frequency peer: cholesterol (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “choke”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “choke” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “choke”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).chokelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “cholesterol” (#10,825), “caption” (#10,822), “classy” (#10,826). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “choke” is #10,824. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around choke (IPA /t͡ʃəʊk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #10,824 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ever since he choked on a bone, he has refused to eat fish.
  2. Lenore began to choke with the fine dust and to feel her eyes smart and to see it settle on her hands and dress.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

brace#10,820Clyde#10,828bleed#10,818Damon#10,836

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

taller7 variantsSutton7 variantsstoke7 variantssorrow7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list