Which to use
“chases” and “chasm” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,745
- “chases” frequency rank
- #30,360
- “chasm” frequency rank
- 52105
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chases | chasm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of chase | A deep, steep-sided rift, gap or fissure; a gorge or abyss. |
Where the eye mixes chases and chasm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses chases with chasm
A purely visual mix-up. chases (/ˈt͡ʃeɪsɪz/) and chasm (/ˈkæzəm/) 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 52105, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chases is recorded at frequency rank #21,745, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈt͡ʃeɪsɪz/. chasm is at rank #30,360, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkæzəm/.
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 52105, this pair ranks #159,812 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of chases vs chasm
Shared letters: achs. Private to "chases": e. Private to "chasm": m.
"chases" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "chasm" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "chases" for "chasm" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "chases" or "chasm" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "chases" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chasm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #159,812 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chases" and "chasm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Chaim vs chasm". 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 #159,812 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.