chêne

\ʃɛn\

/\ʃɛn\/ noun

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

The verdict

“chêne” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #8,356 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,356
frequency rank, French
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Nom usuel des représentants du genre Quercus, qui sont des arbres de la famille des Fagaceae (Fagacées), à feuilles souvent lobées.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chêne vs CNE
0% similar
chêne vs chez
40% similar
chêne vs cher
40% similar

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

Key facts for chêne
PropertyValue
Headwordchêne
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʃɛn\
Letters5
Frequency rank#8,356
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chêne” 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). chêne 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 chêne is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʃɛn\. Corpus data places it at rank #8,356 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for chêne, with forms such as "cchêne", "chene", and "chhêne". 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, "CNE", "chez", "cher", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is chêne, spelled C-H-Ê-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nom usuel des représentants du genre Quercus, qui sont des arbres de la famille des Fagaceae (Fagacées), à feuilles souvent lobées.
  2. 2
    Sans précision,ou épithète, désigne généralement en France et en Europe de l'ouest le chêne pédonculé (Quercus robur), arbre pouvant atteindre 25 mètres de haut, parfois plus et vivre plusieurs siècles
  3. 3
    Rameau de chêne.
  4. 4
    Le bois de cet arbre travaillé.
  5. 5
    Meuble représentant l’arbre du même nom dans les armoiries. Il est représenté avec des feuilles et glands disproportionnés pour faciliter l’identification de l’espèce. Il se blasonne comme l’arbre. Il est dit englandé ou englanté quand ses glands sont d’un autre émail (il est à noter que fruité est tout aussi valable). À rapprocher de arbre, if, pin, pommier, sapin…

This word in other languages

oak(English)roble(Español)Eiche(Deutsch)carvalho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchêne,chene,chhêne,chnêe,chêen,chênne,cêhne,hcêne

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chêne - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cchêne1chene1chhêne1chnêe2chêen2chênne1cêhne2hcêne2
Edit distance from "chêne"

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 "chêne"?
"chêne" is spelled C-H-Ê-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃɛn\.
What does "chêne" mean?
As a noun, "chêne" means: Nom usuel des représentants du genre Quercus, qui sont des arbres de la famille des Fagaceae (Fagacées), à feuilles souvent lobées.
What words are commonly confused with "chêne"?
"chêne" is commonly confused with "CNE", "chez", "cher". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chêne"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chêne" is \ʃɛn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chêne" come from?
"chêne" 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 “chêne”

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

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