# cancer vs chancel

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### cancer
*noun · IPA /ˈkænsə/ · frequency rank #1,244*
A disease in which the cells of a tissue undergo uncontrolled (and often rapid) proliferation.

### chancel
*noun · IPA /ˈtʃɑːnsəl/ · frequency rank #40,170*
The space around the altar in a church or cathedral, often enclosed, for use by the clergy and the choir. In medieval cathedrals the chancel was usually enclosed or blocked off from the nave by an altar screen.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cancer-vs-chancel