new chum
"new-chum" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“new chum” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A newly arrived convict.
Corpus desk
Index EN-new-chum · new chum · English
new chum · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "N" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | new chum |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “new chum” in English
Rare enough to double-check
new chum is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for new chum, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From new + chum. The correct English form is new chum, spelled N-E-W- -C-H-U-M.
Definition
- 1A newly arrived convict.
- 2A beginner; a novice.
- 3A newly arrived and inexperienced immigrant; a newcomer.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how new chum appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
1906, Edward Dyson, In the Roaring Fifties, 2005, Gutenberg eBook #17045, ‘New chum?’ queried the barman, after serving him. ‘I suppose I am,’ replied Jim. ‘Look here, would you mind telling me what in the devil′s name a new chum is?' ‘A new chum is a man fresh from home.’ ‘From England?' ‘Scotland, Ireland, anywhere else, if he′s green and inexperienced.…
Once, said he, a new chum came to the jarrah bush. A new chum is a tenderfoot, specifically an English tenderfot; he is, of course, the butt of every bush and mining camp in Australia.
Etymology
From new + chum.
Antonyms
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.