chat

\ʃa\

/\ʃa\/ noun

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

The verdict

“chat” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,433 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,433
frequency rank, French
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Mammifère carnivore félin de taille moyenne, au museau court et arrondi, domestiqué, apprivoisé ou encore à l’état sauvage.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chat vs Ct
25% similar
chat vs cia
50% similar
chat vs che
50% similar

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

Key facts for chat
PropertyValue
Headwordchat
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʃa\
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,433
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chat” 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). chat 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 chat is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʃa\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,433 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for chat, with forms such as "caht", "cchat", and "chatt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Ct", "cia", "che", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is chat, spelled C-H-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mammifère carnivore félin de taille moyenne, au museau court et arrondi, domestiqué, apprivoisé ou encore à l’état sauvage.
  2. 2
    Individu mâle de cet animal.
  3. 3
    Félin.
  4. 4
    Synonyme de poisson-chat commun.
  5. 5
    Synonyme de loup : jeu d’enfants où un des participants appelé chat doit toucher un de ses camarades qui devient le chat à son tour.
  6. 6
    Instrument à branches de fer élastiques et pointues, dont on se sert pour visiter l’âme d’une pièce de canon, afin de découvrir les chambres qui s’y trouvent.
  7. 7
    Vulve ou vagin, chatte.
  8. 8
    Palatine, sorte de fourrure que les femmes portent au cou.
  9. 9
    Meuble représentant l’animal du même nom dans les armoiries. Comme le léopard, il est représenté passant et de face.
  10. 10
    Position de yoga à quatre pattes.
  11. 11
    Défaut, corps étranger, dans un bloc d'ardoise qui le rend impropre à être fendu et utiliser.

Synonyms

chat domestiquegreffierGrippeminaudminetmistigriRaminagrobismatou

This word in other languages

cat(English)gato(Español)Katze(Deutsch)gato(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: caht,cchat,chatt,chhat,chta,hcat

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

caht2cchat1chatt1chhat1chta2hcat2
Edit distance from "chat"

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 "chat"?
"chat" is spelled C-H-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃa\.
What does "chat" mean?
As a noun, "chat" means: Mammifère carnivore félin de taille moyenne, au museau court et arrondi, domestiqué, apprivoisé ou encore à l’état sauvage.
What words are commonly confused with "chat"?
"chat" is commonly confused with "Ct", "cia", "che". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chat" is \ʃa\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chat" come from?
"chat" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “chat”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-H-A-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʃa\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Ct” - see the side-by-side comparison. chat vs Ct
  • 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