Which to use
“choose” and “chose” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,296
- “choose” frequency rank
- #2,719
- “chose” frequency rank
- 4015
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | choose | chose |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To pick; to make the choice of; to select. | simple past of choose |
Where the eye mixes choose and chose
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. choose (/t͡ʃuːz/) and chose (/t͡ʃəʊz/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4015, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
choose is recorded at frequency rank #1,296, classified as averb, pronounced /t͡ʃuːz/. chose is at rank #2,719, tagged as averb, pronounced /t͡ʃəʊz/.
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 4015, this pair ranks #520,274 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of choose vs chose
Shared letters: cehos. Private to "choose": -. Private to "chose": -.
"choose" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "chose" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV