chord

/kɔːd/

//kɔːd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“chord” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,019. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,019
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chord · chord · English

chord · rank #12,019 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,019
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cellphone

Nearest frequency peer: cellphone (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “chord”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “chord” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

chord vs cod
60% similar
chord vs cor
60% similar
chord vs CHR
0% similar

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

Key facts for chord
PropertyValue
Headwordchord
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɔːd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,019
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chord” 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).chord lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around chord (IPA /kɔːd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,019 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for chord, with forms such as "cchord", "chhord", and "chodr". 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, "cod", "cor", "CHR", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Variant of cord, with spelling alteration due to Latin chorda (“cord”), ultimately from Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”). No relation to French accord (“chord”) and its derivations. Doublet of cuerda. The correct English form is chord, spelled C-H-O-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.
  2. 2
    A line segment between two points of a curve.
  3. 3
    A horizontal member of a truss.
  4. 4
    A horizontal member of a truss.
  5. 5
    The distance between the leading and trailing edge of a wing, measured in the direction of the normal airflow.
  6. 6
    An imaginary line from the luff of a sail to its leech.
  7. 7
    A keyboard shortcut that involves two or more distinct keypresses, such as Ctrl+M followed by P.
  8. 8
    The string of a musical instrument.
  9. 9
    A cord.
  10. 10
    An edge that is not part of a cycle but connects two vertices of the cycle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He struck the opening chords of the passage; but this time Irene's voice was silent. Victor stopped in the middle of an arpeggio.
  2. The simplest method of calculating the radius of a curve in situ is to measure the versine; in railway practice this is done by extending a tape 66 ft. (1 ch.) long in a straight line or chord between two points on the periphery of a curve, and then measuring the maximum distance of the rail from the chord at the centre of the 66 ft. The radius in chains…

Etymology

Variant of cord, with spelling alteration due to Latin chorda (“cord”), ultimately from Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”). No relation to French accord (“chord”) and its derivations. Doublet of cuerda.

This word in other languages

acorde(Español)accord(Français)Akkord(Deutsch)acorde(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchord
  • chhord
  • chodr
  • chordd
  • chorrd
  • chrod
  • cohrd
  • hcord

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cchord1chhord1chodr2chordd1chorrd1chrod2cohrd2hcord2
Edit distance from "chord"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "chord"?
"chord" is spelled C-H-O-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /kɔːd/.
What does "chord" mean?
As a noun, "chord" means: A harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.
What words are commonly confused with "chord"?
"chord" is commonly confused with "cod", "cor", "CHR". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chord"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chord" is /kɔːd/. 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 "chord"?
Variant of cord, with spelling alteration due to Latin chorda (“cord”), ultimately from Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”). No relation to French accord (“chord”) and its derivations. Doublet of cuerda. 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 "chord", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Clare#12,020cooks#12,023Bronx#12,014booze#12,012

Similar misspelling depth

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

crest8 variantsbamboo8 variantsfetch8 variantsStevie8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "chord". Here's where to go from here.

  • "chord" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "cod". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #12,019 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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