chromosome

/ˈkɹəʊ.məˌsəʊm/

//ˈkɹəʊ.məˌsəʊm// noun

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

"chromosome" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“chromosome” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,363. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,363
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A linear arrangement of condensed DNA and associated proteins (such as chaperone proteins) which contains the genetic material (genome) of an organism.

Corpus desk

Index EN-chromosome · chromosome · English

chromosome · rank #15,363 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #15,363
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH charismatic

Nearest frequency peer: charismatic (-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 “chromosome”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “chromosome” 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).

chromosome vs chromosomal
82% similar

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

Key facts for chromosome
PropertyValue
Headwordchromosome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɹəʊ.məˌsəʊm/
Letters10
Frequency rank#15,363
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “chromosome”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).chromosomelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “charismatic” (#15,362), “chunks” (#15,364), “Cassidy” (#15,361). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “chromosome” is #15,363. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around chromosome (IPA /ˈkɹəʊ.məˌsəʊm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,363 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A linear arrangement of condensed DNA and associated proteins (such as chaperone proteins) which contains the genetic material (genome) of an organism.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for chromosome, with forms such as "cchromosome", "chhromosome", and "chormosome". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "chromosomal", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 19th century: from German Chromosom, ultimately from Ancient Greek χρῶμα (khrôma, “colour”) + σῶμα (sôma, “body”) (because they are stained under the microscope). Equivalent to chromo- + -some. The correct English form is chromosome, spelled C-H-R-O-M-O-S-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A linear arrangement of condensed DNA and associated proteins (such as chaperone proteins) which contains the genetic material (genome) of an organism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Chromosomes store genetic information.
  2. A length of DNA is divided into segments called chromosomes and shorter individual units called genes.

Etymology

19th century: from German Chromosom, ultimately from Ancient Greek χρῶμα (khrôma, “colour”) + σῶμα (sôma, “body”) (because they are stained under the microscope). Equivalent to chromo- + -some.

This word in other languages

cromosoma(Español)chromosome(Français)Chromosom(Deutsch)cromossoma(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchromosome
  • chhromosome
  • chormosome
  • chrmoosome
  • chrommosome
  • chromoosme
  • chromosmoe
  • chromosoem
  • chromosomme
  • chromossome
  • chromsoome
  • chroomsome
  • chrromosome
  • crhomosome
  • hcromosome

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chromosome - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cchromosome1chhromosome1chormosome2chrmoosome2chrommosome1chromoosme2chromosmoe2chromosoem2
Edit distance from "chromosome"

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 "chromosome"?
"chromosome" is spelled C-H-R-O-M-O-S-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹəʊ.məˌsəʊm/.
What does "chromosome" mean?
As a noun, "chromosome" means: A linear arrangement of condensed DNA and associated proteins (such as chaperone proteins) which contains the genetic material (genome) of an organism.
What words are commonly confused with "chromosome"?
"chromosome" is commonly confused with "chromosomal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chromosome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chromosome" is /ˈkɹəʊ.məˌsəʊm/. 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 "chromosome"?
19th century: from German Chromosom, ultimately from Ancient Greek χρῶμα (khrôma, “colour”) + σῶμα (sôma, “body”) (because they are stained under the microscope). Equivalent to chromo- + -some. 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 "chromosome", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

contestant#15,373correcting#15,377crossroads#15,380Azerbaijan#15,340

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

Blackburn15 variantseighteenth15 variantsempowering15 variantsexpiration15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list