Which to use
“checked” is an adjective and “chicken” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,779
- “checked” frequency rank
- #2,334
- “chicken” frequency rank
- 5113
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | checked | chicken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Marked with a check mark. | A domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus). |
Where the eye mixes checked and chicken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses checked with chicken
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: checked is /t͡ʃɛkt/ while chicken is /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5113, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
checked is recorded at frequency rank #2,779, classified as anadj, pronounced /t͡ʃɛkt/. chicken is at rank #2,334, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/.
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 5113, this pair ranks #516,532 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of checked vs chicken
Shared letters: cehk. Private to "checked": d. Private to "chicken": in.
"checked" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "chicken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "checked" and "chicken" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "checked" or "chicken"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "checked" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chicken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #516,532 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "checked" and "chicken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chicken vs clicker". 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 #516,532 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.