Which to use
“chance” and “chancery” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #548
- “chance” frequency rank
- #32,314
- “chancery” frequency rank
- 32862
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chance | chancery |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An opportunity or possibility. | In England, formerly, the highest court of judicature next to the Parliament, exercising jurisdiction at law, but chiefly in equity; but under the jurisdiction act of 1873 it became the chancery division of the High Court of Justice, and now exercises jurisdiction only in equity |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set chance and chancery apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
chance and chancery form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “chance” sits inside “chancery” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32862, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chance is recorded at frequency rank #548, classified as anoun, pronounced /t͡ʃæns/. chancery is at rank #32,314, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈt͡ʃɑːnsəɹɪ/.
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 32862, this pair ranks #334,267 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "chance" and "chancery" be used interchangeably?
Remembering chance vs chancery
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “chance” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable