# chime vs choke

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### chime
*noun · IPA /tʃaɪm/ · frequency rank #24,111*
A musical instrument producing a sound when struck, similar to a bell (e.g. a tubular metal bar) or actually a bell. Often used in the plural to refer to the set: the chimes.

### choke
*verb · IPA /t͡ʃəʊk/ · frequency rank #10,824*
To be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe (for instance food or other objects that go down the wrong way, or fumes or particles in the air that cause the throat to constrict).

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