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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,019 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,019
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.

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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for chord is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɔːd/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,019 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

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.

Using “chord”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-O-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɔːd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cod” - see the side-by-side comparison. chord vs cod
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list