Which to use
“cha” and “chai” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,200
- “cha” frequency rank
- #37,430
- “chai” frequency rank
- 55630
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cha | chai |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Vater | Gefäß für Flüssigkeiten oder Ähnliches; Flasche |
Where the eye mixes cha and chai
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between cha and chai
A purely visual mix-up. cha ([t͡ɕaː˧˧]) and chai ([t͡ɕaːj˧˧]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “cha” sits inside “chai”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55630, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cha is recorded at frequency rank #18,200, classified as anoun, pronounced [t͡ɕaː˧˧]. chai is at rank #37,430, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t͡ɕaːj˧˧].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 55630, this pair ranks #972,103 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cha vs chai
Shared letters: ach. Private to "cha": -. Private to "chai": i.
"cha" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "chai" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- chai ← cahi · cchai · chhai · chia · hcai
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "cha" and "chai" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "cha" vs "chai" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cha" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chai" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #972,103 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cha" and "chai" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chai vs clair". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #972,103 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.