Which to use
“chain” and “Clan” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,876
- “chain” frequency rank
- #9,695
- “Clan” frequency rank
- 33571
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chain | Clan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Kette, Fessel | (schottischer/irischer) Stammes-/Volksverband |
Where the eye mixes chain and Clan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: chain vs Clan
A purely visual mix-up. chain ([ˈt͡ʃeɪn]) and Clan ([klaːn]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33571, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chain is recorded at frequency rank #23,876, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡ʃeɪn]. Clan is at rank #9,695, tagged as anoun, pronounced [klaːn].
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 33571, this pair ranks #1,682,979 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of chain vs Clan
Shared letters: acn. Private to "chain": hi. Private to "Clan": l.
"chain" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Clan" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "chain" and "Clan" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "chain" or "Clan"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "chain" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Clan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,682,979 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chain" and "Clan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chain 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 #1,682,979 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.