Which to use
“chink” and “clink” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,376
- “chink” frequency rank
- #45,847
- “clink” frequency rank
- 92223
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chink | clink |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack. | The sound of metal on metal, or glass on glass. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set chink and clink apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. chink (/t͡ʃɪŋk/) and clink (/klɪŋk/) 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 a single letter - h in “chink” becomes l in “clink”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 92223, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chink is recorded at frequency rank #46,376, classified as anoun, pronounced /t͡ʃɪŋk/. clink is at rank #45,847, tagged as anoun, pronounced /klɪŋk/.
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 92223, this pair ranks #2,720 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of chink vs clink
Shared letters: cikn. Private to "chink": h. Private to "clink": l.
"chink" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "clink" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "chink" and "clink" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "chink" or "clink"?
Remembering chink vs clink
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 “chink” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable