Which to use
“chain” and “chink” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,244
- “chain” frequency rank
- #46,376
- “chink” frequency rank
- 48620
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chain | chink |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal. | A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack. |
Where the eye mixes chain and chink
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. chain (CCVVC) and chink (CCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between chain and chink
A purely visual mix-up. chain (/ˈt͡ʃeɪn/) and chink (/t͡ʃɪŋk/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48620, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chain is recorded at frequency rank #2,244, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈt͡ʃeɪn/. chink is at rank #46,376, tagged as anoun, pronounced /t͡ʃɪŋk/.
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 48620, this pair ranks #191,326 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of chain vs chink
Shared letters: chin. Private to "chain": a. Private to "chink": k.
"chain" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "chink" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "chain" and "chink" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "chain" or "chink"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "chain" and "chink" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "chain" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chink" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #191,326 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chain" and "chink" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chibi vs chink". 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 #191,326 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.