chocolate

American  

[chaw-kuh-lit, chok-uh-, chawk-lit, chok-] / ˈtʃɔ kə lɪt, ˈtʃɒk ə-, ˈtʃɔk lɪt, ˈtʃɒk- /

noun

1. a preparation of the seeds of cacao, roasted, husked, and ground, often sweetened and flavored, as with vanilla.

2. a beverage made by dissolving such a preparation in milk or water, served hot or cold.

   a cup of hot chocolate.

3. candy made from such a preparation.

4. an individual piece of this candy.

5. any syrup or flavoring made from this preparation or artificially imitating its flavor.

6. a dark brown color.

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adjective

1. made, flavored, or covered with chocolate.

   chocolate cake; chocolate ice cream.

2. having the color of chocolate; dark-brown.

chocolate British  

/ -lət, ˈtʃɒklɪt, ˈtʃɒkəlɪt /

noun

1. a food preparation made from roasted ground cacao seeds, usually sweetened and flavoured

2. a drink or sweetmeat made from this

3. 1. a moderate to deep brown colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a chocolate carpet

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Usage

Spelling tips for chocolate The word chocolate is hard to spell because the second o is often not emphasized when pronounced—many people say [ chawk-lit ], not [ chok-uh-lit ]. Also, the final syllable -late is pronounced [ lit ], not like the word late. How to spell chocolate: You can remember how the word chocolate starts by remembering that it is sometimes abbreviated as choco, as in choco chips and Choco Taco. You can remember the ending by remembering that chocolate is often eaten as dessert, meaning that it’s eaten late.

Other Word Forms

• chocolatey adjective
• chocolaty adjective

Etymology

Origin of chocolate

First recorded in 1600–1610; from Spanish, from Nahuatl chocolātl, from chocol-, of unknown meaning (but perhaps from xococ “bitter, sour”) + ātl “water”

Example Sentences

“It sucks when Sunday morning chocolate chip pancakes for the kiddos all of a sudden ends up in the ‘discretionary spending’ category of the budget.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Wallace has noticed prices for her Easter favorites, such as Russell Stover’s milk chocolate Easter bunnies, have taken a bigger chunk out of her budget each year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

“I just passed on a package of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips this morning because the bag was $10,” one Reddit user wrote in a discussion thread about the E-shaped economy.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

I can still conjure it: the heated seat warming my back, the hot chocolate coating my throat, the cinnamon strudel giving way under my teeth.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

Danny didn’t have any chocolate, but he knew that they all wanted the same thing.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• candy
• confection
• dessert
• snack