chickenvsclickerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“chicken” and “clicker” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,334
“chicken” frequency rank
#46,382
“clicker” frequency rank
48716
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature chicken clicker
Definition A domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus). The remote-control device used to change settings on a television set, VCR, or other electronic equipment.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set chicken and clicker apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
chicken
7 ch
clicker

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. chicken (/ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/) and clicker (/ˈklɪkə/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48716, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

chicken is recorded at frequency rank #2,334, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/. clicker is at rank #46,382, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈklɪkə/.

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 48716, this pair ranks #190,426 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of chicken vs clicker

Shared letters: ceik. Private to "chicken": hn. Private to "clicker": lr.

"chicken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "clicker" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • chickencchicken · chciken · chhicken · chiccken · chicekn · chickenn · chickken · chickne
  • clickercclicker · cilcker · clciker · cliccker · clicekr · clickerr · clickker · clickre

Frequency comparison

chicken#2,334
clicker#46,382

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "chicken" and "clicker" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈt͡ʃɪkɪn/ versus /ˈklɪkə/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "chicken" or "clicker"?
"chicken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,334 in our English list, against #46,382 for "clicker". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering chicken vs clicker

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “chicken” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list