# chem vs chew

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### chem
*noun · IPA /kɛm/ · frequency rank #15,774*
Clipping of chemistry (“branch of natural science”), usually referring to the subject or the department.

### chew
*verb · IPA /tʃuː/ · frequency rank #11,850*
To crush with the teeth by repeated closing and opening of the jaws; done to food to soften it and break it down by the action of saliva before it is swallowed.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chem-vs-chew