sedan chair

/səˈdæn ˌtʃɛər/

//səˈdæn ˌtʃɛər// noun

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

The verdict

“sedan chair” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An open or enclosed chair raised on poles and carried by people or animals, used as a mode of transport.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sedan-chair · sedan chair · English

sedan chair · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" 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.

Key facts for sedan chair
PropertyValue
Headwordsedan chair
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səˈdæn ˌtʃɛər/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sedan chair” in English

sedan chairsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sedan chair is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /səˈdæn ˌtʃɛər/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for sedan chair in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clarifying the intended meaning or sense of sedan. The correct English form is sedan chair, spelled S-E-D-A-N- -C-H-A-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An open or enclosed chair raised on poles and carried by people or animals, used as a mode of transport.
  2. 2
    An equivalent mode of transport created by two people grasping each other's forearms, making a seat for the rider.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In Rio de Janeiro the gentry keep their chaises, which are drawn by mules; the ladies however use a sedan chair, boarded before and behind, with curtains on each side, which is carried by two negroes on a pole connected with the top of the chair, by two rods, coming from under its bottom, one on each side, and resting to the top.
  2. Mr. G.'s published letters have widely diffused his favorite position, that "China is open." He still maintains this position, though others have risen to controvert it. To me it seems that, whether or not it is open to the settlement of missionaries is a matter to be decided only by experiment; to make which, there are not more than himself and three oth…

Etymology

Clarifying the intended meaning or sense of sedan.

This word in other languages

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sedan chair"?
"sedan chair" is spelled S-E-D-A-N- -C-H-A-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈdæn ˌtʃɛər/.
What does "sedan chair" mean?
As a noun, "sedan chair" means: An open or enclosed chair raised on poles and carried by people or animals, used as a mode of transport.
How do you pronounce "sedan chair"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sedan chair" is /səˈdæn ˌtʃɛər/. 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 "sedan chair"?
Clarifying the intended meaning or sense of sedan. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list