# chem vs chief

> 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.

### chief
*noun · IPA /t͡ʃiːf/ · frequency rank #804*
The leader or head of a tribe, organisation, business unit, or other group.

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