chestnut

\ˈtʃɛs.nʌt\

/\ˈtʃɛs.nʌt\/ noun

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

The verdict

“chestnut” is uncommon French (frequency #77,345 among 257,141 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,345
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Châtaigne, marron.

Key facts for chestnut
PropertyValue
Headwordchestnut
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ˈtʃɛs.nʌt\
Letters8
Frequency rank#77,345
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chestnut” 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). chestnut 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

chestnut is uncommon French at frequency #77,345 among 257,141 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \ˈtʃɛs.nʌt\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

chestnut has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is chestnut, spelled C-H-E-S-T-N-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Châtaigne, marron.
  2. 2
    Châtaignier.
  3. 3
    Marron foncé.
  4. 4
    Synonyme de old chestnut.

Synonyms

chestnut tree

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 "chestnut"?
"chestnut" is spelled C-H-E-S-T-N-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈtʃɛs.nʌt\.
What does "chestnut" mean?
As a noun, "chestnut" means: Châtaigne, marron.
How do you pronounce "chestnut"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chestnut" is \ˈtʃɛs.nʌt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chestnut" come from?
"chestnut" 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 “chestnut”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-H-E-S-T-N-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈtʃɛs.nʌt\ (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