Which to use
“chases” and “chisel” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,745
- “chases” frequency rank
- #30,363
- “chisel” frequency rank
- 52108
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chases | chisel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of chase | A cutting tool used to remove parts of stone, wood or metal by pushing or pounding the back when the sharp edge is against the material. It consists of a slim, oblong block of metal with a sharp wedge or bevel formed on one end and sometimes a handle at the other end; there are hand tool versions (the original type) and versions as bits for power tools. |
Where the eye mixes chases and chisel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: chases vs chisel
A purely visual mix-up. chases (/ˈt͡ʃeɪsɪz/) and chisel (/ˈt͡ʃɪzəl/) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52108, 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/. chisel is at rank #30,363, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈt͡ʃɪzəl/.
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 52108, this pair ranks #159,790 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of chases vs chisel
Shared letters: cehs. Private to "chases": a. Private to "chisel": il.
"chases" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "chisel" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "chases" for "chisel" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "chases" or "chisel" show up more?
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 "chases" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chisel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #159,790 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chases" and "chisel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chisel vs chives". 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 #159,790 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.