churchyard

/ˈt͡ʃɝt͡ʃ.jɑɹd/

//ˈt͡ʃɝt͡ʃ.jɑɹd// noun

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

The verdict

“churchyard” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,916. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,916
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A patch of land adjoining a church, often used as a graveyard.

Key facts for churchyard
PropertyValue
Headwordchurchyard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈt͡ʃɝt͡ʃ.jɑɹd/
Letters10
Frequency rank#31,916
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “churchyard” 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). churchyard 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 17 spelling variants around churchyard (IPA /ˈt͡ʃɝt͡ʃ.jɑɹd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,916 among 43,570 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A patch of land adjoining a church, often used as a graveyard.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for churchyard, with forms such as "cchurchyard", "chhurchyard", and "chruchyard". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English churchyard, chirch-ȝerd, chircheȝerd (also kirk-ȝerd, kirkeyard > English kirkyard), equivalent to church + yard. Compare also Middle English kurk-garth, kyrkgarth, kirrkegærd, from Old Norse kirkjugarðr (“churchyard; graveyard”). Replac… The correct English form is churchyard, spelled C-H-U-R-C-H-Y-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A patch of land adjoining a church, often used as a graveyard.

Etymology

From Middle English churchyard, chirch-ȝerd, chircheȝerd (also kirk-ȝerd, kirkeyard > English kirkyard), equivalent to church + yard. Compare also Middle English kurk-garth, kyrkgarth, kirrkegærd, from Old Norse kirkjugarðr (“churchyard; graveyard”). Replaced Middle English chirchetoun from Old English ċirictūn (churchtown).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchurchyard,chhurchyard,chruchyard,chucrhyard,churcchyard,churchayrd,churchhyard,churchyadr,churchyardd,churchyarrd,churchyrad,churchyyard,churcyhard,churhcyard,churrchyard,cuhrchyard,hcurchyard

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cchurchyard1chhurchyard1chruchyard2chucrhyard2churcchyard1churchayrd2churchhyard1churchyadr2
Edit distance from "churchyard"

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 "churchyard"?
"churchyard" is spelled C-H-U-R-C-H-Y-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɝt͡ʃ.jɑɹd/.
What does "churchyard" mean?
As a noun, "churchyard" means: A patch of land adjoining a church, often used as a graveyard.
What are common misspellings of "churchyard"?
Common misspellings include "cchurchyard", "chhurchyard", "chruchyard", "chucrhyard", "churcchyard". The correct spelling is "churchyard".
How do you pronounce "churchyard"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "churchyard" is /ˈt͡ʃɝt͡ʃ.jɑɹd/. 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 "churchyard"?
From Middle English churchyard, chirch-ȝerd, chircheȝerd (also kirk-ȝerd, kirkeyard > English kirkyard), equivalent to church + yard. Compare also Middle English kurk-garth, kyrkgarth, kirrkegærd, from Old Norse kirkjugarðr (“churchyard; graveyard... 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 “churchyard”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-U-R-C-H-Y-A-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈt͡ʃɝt͡ʃ.jɑɹd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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