chenu

\ʃə.ny\

/\ʃə.ny\/ adj

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

The verdict

“chenu” is uncommon French (frequency #59,158 among 257,141 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,158
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui a les cheveux blanchis par la vieillesse.

Key facts for chenu
PropertyValue
Headwordchenu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ʃə.ny\
Letters5
Frequency rank#59,158
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chenu” 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). chenu lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

chenu is uncommon French at frequency #59,158 among 257,141 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ʃə.ny\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for chenu in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is chenu, spelled C-H-E-N-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui a les cheveux blanchis par la vieillesse.
  2. 2
    S’applique à la barbe, aux sourcils, aux parties du corps et même aux objets en les personnifiant.
  3. 3
    Qui a la cime blanchie (par la neige ou l’écume par exemple).
  4. 4
    Marqué par les ans (même sans notion de blancheur).
  5. 5
    Solidifié, bonifié par l’âge
  6. 6
    De haut niveau, de grande qualité.

This word in other languages

hoary(English)cano(Español)

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 "chenu"?
"chenu" is spelled C-H-E-N-U. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃə.ny\.
What does "chenu" mean?
As an adjective, "chenu" means: Qui a les cheveux blanchis par la vieillesse.
How do you pronounce "chenu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chenu" is \ʃə.ny\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chenu" come from?
"chenu" 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 “chenu”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-H-E-N-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʃə.ny\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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