chore
/t͡ʃoɹ/noun, verb
chore is spelled C-H-O-R-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,835th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, chore means “A task, especially a regularly needed task for the upkeep of a home or similar, such as housecleaning or preparing meals” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of chore is chores.
How many letters and syllables are in chore?
| Letters | 5: C-H-O-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 23,835th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 chore?
Chore appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,835th 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 chore?
- UK /t͡ʃɔː/
- US /t͡ʃoɹ/
- /t͡ʃo(ː)ɹ/
As a verb (“To steal”): /t͡ʃɔː/, /t͡ʃɔɹ/, /t͡ʃo(ː)ɹ/.
Chore 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-chore.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with chore
Also written: chor.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with chore?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as chore from its last stressed vowel (/oɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: roche, ochre, ocher.
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 chore
- chores plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- choring participle, present
- chored participle, past
- chor
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does chore mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A task, especially a regularly needed task for the upkeep of a home or similar, such as housecleaning or preparing meals.
Before we moved in together, my partner and I divided up the chores: he cooks and vacuums, and I do the dishes and laundry.
- 2
A task that is difficult, unpleasant, or tediously routine.
I used to enjoy being self-employed, but it's become a bit of a chore recently.
- 3
obsoleteA choir or chorus.
verb
- 1
ScotlandTo steal.
- 2
USdatedTo do chores.
noun
- 1
plural of chorea
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Chore in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a difficult, unpleasant, or routine task:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | corvée, tâche |
| German | leidige Aufgabe, lästige Pflicht, Hausarbeit (homework), häusliche Arbeit |
| Portuguese | tarefa, porre |
| Spanish | mandado, tarea, faena |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does chore come from?
From earlier char, from Middle English charr, charre, cherre (“odd job, turn, occasion, business”), from Old English ċerr, ċierr (“a turn”), from ċierran (“to turn”), from Proto-Germanic *karzijaną (“to turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *gers- (“to bend, turn”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).