Which to use
“chai” and “chain” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,430
- “chai” frequency rank
- #23,876
- “chain” frequency rank
- 61306
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chai | chain |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gefäß für Flüssigkeiten oder Ähnliches; Flasche | Kette, Fessel |
Where the eye mixes chai and chain
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between chai and chain
A purely visual mix-up. chai ([t͡ɕaːj˧˧]) and chain ([ˈt͡ʃeɪn]) 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) - “chai” sits inside “chain”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61306, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chai is recorded at frequency rank #37,430, classified as anoun, pronounced [t͡ɕaːj˧˧]. chain is at rank #23,876, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡ʃeɪn].
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 61306, this pair ranks #754,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of chai vs chain
Shared letters: achi. Private to "chai": -. Private to "chain": n.
"chai" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "chain" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "chai" for "chain" ever safe?
Frequency check: "chai" vs "chain" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "chai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chain" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #754,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chai" and "chain" 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 #754,717 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.