chops

/t͡ʃɑps/

//t͡ʃɑps// noun

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

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

The verdict

“chops” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,567. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,567
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of chop

Corpus desk

Index EN-chops · chops · English

chops · rank #17,567 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,567
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cheered

Nearest frequency peer: cheered (-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 “chops”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “chops” 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).

chops vs cop
60% similar
chops vs cos
60% similar
chops vs CPS
0% similar

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

Key facts for chops
PropertyValue
Headwordchops
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/t͡ʃɑps/
Letters5
Frequency rank#17,567
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “chops”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “cheered” (#17,566), “cleric” (#17,568), “chatter” (#17,565). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chops” is #17,567. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around chops (IPA /t͡ʃɑps/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,567 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for chops, with forms such as "cchops", "chhops", and "chopps". 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, "cop", "cos", "CPS", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is chops, spelled C-H-O-P-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of chop
  2. 2
    Jaws, lips, mouth.
  3. 3
    One's skill at musical interpretation and delivery; musical performance ability.
  4. 4
    One's skill at any endeavor; ability, talent; competency.
  5. 5
    The area where two tides meet and cause an irregular (choppy) sea.
  6. 6
    A pattern that involves carrying the object with the hand over the next object before throwing it.
  7. 7
    Food.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]who knows but ſome fine lady of St. James's pariſh might admit into her delicate mouth thoſe very cherries, which had been rolled and moiſtened between the filthy, and, perhaps, ulcerated chops of a St. Giles's huckſter[…]
  2. If we'd a had a second-hand crystal ball to look into, we’d have seen the lean and gripy times ready to smack us in our chops by the year the depression rolled around, when the big commercial outfits got complete control of the popular-music business.

Etymology

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.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchops
  • chhops
  • chopps
  • chopss
  • chosp
  • chpos
  • cohps
  • hcops

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chops - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cchops1chhops1chopps1chopss1chosp2chpos2cohps2hcops2
Edit distance from "chops"

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 "chops"?
"chops" is spelled C-H-O-P-S. The IPA pronunciation is /t͡ʃɑps/.
What does "chops" mean?
As a noun, "chops" means: plural of chop
What words are commonly confused with "chops"?
"chops" is commonly confused with "cop", "cos", "CPS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chops"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chops" is /t͡ʃɑps/. 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 "chops"?
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. 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 "chops", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

binds#17,551ditto#17,595vowed#17,518gland#17,620

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

blouse8 variantscougar8 variantsbiomass8 variantsGemini8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list