chops
/t͡ʃɑps/noun, verb
chops is spelled C-H-O-P-S: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, chops means “Jaws, lips, mouth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in chops?
| Letters | 5: C-H-O-P-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is chops?
Chops appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce chops?
- US /t͡ʃɑps/
- UK /t͡ʃɒps/
Chops has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-chops.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with chops?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as chops from its last stressed vowel (/ɑps/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of chops
- chopses present, singular, he/she/it
- chopsing participle, present
- chopsed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does chops mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
plural of chop
- 2
slangJaws, lips, mouth.
- 3
One's skill at musical interpretation and delivery; musical performance ability.
Although the bass player had no experience playing in New Orleans, the crowd's enthusiastic response showed that he had the chops to make it in the very particular Crescent City jazz scene.
- 4
informalOne's skill at any endeavor; ability, talent; competency.
Although he did not know all of the ins and outs of the newsroom, he had the writing chops to become a regular contributor.
- 5
The area where two tides meet and cause an irregular (choppy) sea.
- 6
A pattern that involves carrying the object with the hand over the next object before throwing it.
- 7
AustraliaslangFood.
verb
- 1
third-person singular simple present indicative of chop
He chops wood all day.
- 2
Alternative form of chopse.
noun
- 1
plural of CHOP
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does chops come from?
From the plural of chop (“jaw, side of a harbour”). The jazz slang sense “musical ability” is a reference to the use of the lips to blow instruments.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).