# chew vs chief

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### 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.

### 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/chew-vs-chief