chercher

\ʃɛʁ.ʃe\

/\ʃɛʁ.ʃe\/ verb

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

The verdict

“chercher” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #717 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#717
frequency rank, French
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Se donner du mouvement, du soin ou de la peine pour trouver quelqu’un ou quelque chose.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chercher vs cherchez
88% similar
chercher vs chercheur
89% similar
chercher vs cherchera
89% similar

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

Key facts for chercher
PropertyValue
Headwordchercher
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ʃɛʁ.ʃe\
Letters8
Frequency rank#717
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chercher” 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). chercher 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 chercher is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʃɛʁ.ʃe\. Corpus data places it at rank #717 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for chercher, with forms such as "cchercher", "cehrcher", and "checrher". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "cherchez", "chercheur", "cherchera", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is chercher, spelled C-H-E-R-C-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Se donner du mouvement, du soin ou de la peine pour trouver quelqu’un ou quelque chose.
  2. 2
    Chercher à se connaître ; faire une introspection de son âme.
  3. 3
    Se comporter comme pour essayer de trouver, en parlant de choses inanimées.
  4. 4
    Essayer de se procurer quelqu’un ou quelque chose, faire des efforts pour obtenir un certain résultat.
  5. 5
    Manquer de naturel, rechercher.
  6. 6
    Quand il est précédé du verbe aller, envoyer ou venir il signifie souvent aller trouver, venir trouver quelqu’un ou quelque chose, et se dit tant au propre qu’au figuré.
  7. 7
    Aller ou venir auprès d’une personne pour la conduire ensuite quelque part, ou pour l’avertir de s’y rendre.
  8. 8
    Aller en un lieu pour y prendre ou y recevoir quelque chose.
  9. 9
    Provoquer, chercher la bataille, vouloir se battre, vouloir le conflit.

This word in other languages

look for(English)buscar(Español)suchen(Deutsch)buscar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchercher,cehrcher,checrher,cherccher,chercehr,chercherr,cherchher,cherchre,cherhcer,cherrcher,chhercher,chrecher,hcercher

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cchercher1cehrcher2checrher2cherccher1chercehr2chercherr1cherchher1cherchre2
Edit distance from "chercher"

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 "chercher"?
"chercher" is spelled C-H-E-R-C-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃɛʁ.ʃe\.
What does "chercher" mean?
As a verb, "chercher" means: Se donner du mouvement, du soin ou de la peine pour trouver quelqu’un ou quelque chose.
What words are commonly confused with "chercher"?
"chercher" is commonly confused with "cherchez", "chercheur", "cherchera". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chercher"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chercher" is \ʃɛʁ.ʃe\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chercher" come from?
"chercher" 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 “chercher”

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

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