Which to use
“chi” and “chink” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,660
- “chi” frequency rank
- #46,376
- “chink” frequency rank
- 54036
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chi | chink |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The twenty-second letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabets. | A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack. |
Where the eye mixes chi and chink
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between chi and chink
A purely visual mix-up. chi (/kaɪ/) and chink (/t͡ʃɪŋk/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “chi” sits inside “chink”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54036, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chi is recorded at frequency rank #7,660, classified as anoun, pronounced /kaɪ/. chink is at rank #46,376, tagged as anoun, pronounced /t͡ʃɪŋk/.
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 54036, this pair ranks #144,237 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of chi vs chink
Shared letters: chi. Private to "chi": -. Private to "chink": kn.
"chi" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "chink" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- chink ← cchink · chhink · chikn · chinkk · chinnk · chnik · cihnk · hcink
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "chi" and "chink" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "chi" or "chink" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "chi" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chink" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #144,237 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chi" and "chink" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chibi vs chink". 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 #144,237 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.