cholo

/ˈt͡ʃoʊloʊ/

//ˈt͡ʃoʊloʊ// noun

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

The verdict

“cholo” is uncommon English (frequency #62,766 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,766
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A Mexican or Hispanic gang member, or somebody perceived to embody similar characteristics.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cholo · cholo · English

cholo · rank #62,766 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,766
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH choreograph

Nearest frequency peer: choreograph (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “cholo”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cholo” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cholo
PropertyValue
Headwordcholo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈt͡ʃoʊloʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#62,766
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cholo” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “choreograph” (#62,767), “Christmastime” (#62,768), “clas” (#62,770). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cholo” is #62,766. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cholo is uncommon English at frequency #62,766 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈt͡ʃoʊloʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A Mexican or Hispanic gang member, or somebody perceived to embody similar characteristics.".

cholo doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish cholo, of uncertain origin. The correct English form is cholo, spelled C-H-O-L-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Mexican or Hispanic gang member, or somebody perceived to embody similar characteristics.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. When Converse's cool-hunter DeeDee Gordon was in Los Angeles, she saw white teenage girls dressing like cholos, or Mexican gangsters, wearing tight white tank tops known as "wife beaters," a bra strap hanging out, long shorts, tube socks, and shower sandals.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish cholo, of uncertain origin.

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 "cholo"?
"cholo" is spelled C-H-O-L-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃoʊloʊ/.
What does "cholo" mean?
As a noun, "cholo" means: A Mexican or Hispanic gang member, or somebody perceived to embody similar characteristics.
How do you pronounce "cholo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cholo" is /ˈt͡ʃoʊloʊ/. 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 "cholo"?
Borrowed from Spanish cholo, of uncertain origin. 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 "cholo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list