charge

\ʃaʁʒ\

/\ʃaʁʒ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“charge” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #786 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#786
frequency rank, French
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ce qui pèse.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

charge vs chère
67% similar
charge vs chars
67% similar
charge vs chase
67% similar

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

Key facts for charge
PropertyValue
Headwordcharge
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʃaʁʒ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#786
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “charge” sits in French 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). charge lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for charge is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʃaʁʒ\. Corpus data places it at rank #786 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 26 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for charge, with forms such as "cahrge", "ccharge", and "chagre". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "chère", "chars", "chase", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is charge, spelled C-H-A-R-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ce qui pèse.
  2. 2
    Fardeau, faix, ce que porte une personne, un animal, un bâtiment, etc.
  3. 3
    Poids, mesure ou quantité déterminée de certaines choses.
  4. 4
    Dépense, frais.
  5. 5
    Dépense, frais.
  6. 6
    Dépense, frais.
  7. 7
    Dépense, frais.
  8. 8
    Dépense, frais.
  9. 9
    Magistrature, dignité ou fonction publique.
  10. 10
    Office qu’on achetait au roi.
  11. 11
    Action de charger quelqu’un de faire quelque chose : commission, ordre qu’on donne à quelqu’un.
  12. 12
    Caricature, représentation exagérée, imitation bouffonne.
  13. 13
    Exagération volontaire et comique.
  14. 14
    Traits forcés à dessein par lesquels une personne en contrefait une autre.
  15. 15
    Substance solide, non miscible, introduite dans un mélange pour lui donner certaines qualités.
  16. 16
    Preuve ou indice qui s’élève contre un accusé.
  17. 17
    Tout ce qui apparaît sur le champ de l’écu.
  18. 18
    Action de charger un navire.
  19. 19
    Force appliquée en un point (charge ponctuelle), force appliquée sur une surface (charge continue).
  20. 20
    Quantité de minerai et de charbon que l’on jette à la fois dans un fourneau.
  21. 21
    Attaque impétueuse d’une troupe.
  22. 22
    Attaque.
  23. 23
    Ce qu’on met de poudre et de plomb, etc., dans une arme à feu, un canon, une fusée, un pétard,… pour tirer un coup.
  24. 24
    Action de charger un fusil.
  25. 25
    Quantité d’électricité dans un corps (positive ou négative) interprétée par une déficience ou un excès en électrons. Par extension, toute propriété quantique, comme la charge de couleur.
  26. 26
    Quantité d’alcool absorbée par quelqu’un.

This word in other languages

load(English)carga(Español)Belastung(Deutsch)acusação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cahrge,ccharge,chagre,chareg,chargge,charrge,chharge,chrage,hcarge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of charge - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cahrge2ccharge1chagre2chareg2chargge1charrge1chharge1chrage2
Edit distance from "charge"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "charge"?
"charge" is spelled C-H-A-R-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃaʁʒ\.
What does "charge" mean?
As a noun, "charge" means: Ce qui pèse.
What words are commonly confused with "charge"?
"charge" is commonly confused with "chère", "chars", "chase". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "charge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "charge" is \ʃaʁʒ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "charge" come from?
"charge" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “charge”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-H-A-R-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʃaʁʒ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “chère” - see the side-by-side comparison. charge vs chère
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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