# chow

> English word · Noun · IPA /t͡ʃaʊ/ · frequency rank #16,434

## Definitions
1. Food, especially snacks.
2. Unripe, or partially ripened, fruit seasoned and served as a dish, e.g. pineapple chow or mango chow.
3. A Chow Chow.
4. A Chinese person.

## Etymology
Shortened from chow-chow, from Chinese Pidgin English chow-chow. Compare Macanese chau-cháu. See also English chow fun, chow mein, etc.

## Easily confused with
- **co** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-co)
- **CW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-cw)
- **cop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-cop)
- **con** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-con)
- **cow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-cow)
- **cos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-cos)
- **col** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-col)
- **cox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-cox)
- **cod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-cod)
- **chu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-chu)
- **cor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-cor)
- **coo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-coo)
- **cot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-cot)
- **Coe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-coe)
- **coz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-coz)
- **coa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-coa)
- **coy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-coy)
- **cob** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-cob)
- **cog** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-cog)
- **CHP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chow-vs-chp)

## Common misspellings (6)
`cchow`, `chhow`, `choww`, `chwo`, `cohw`, `hcow`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/chow