Which to use
“chord” and “core” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,019
- “chord” frequency rank
- #1,892
- “core” frequency rank
- 13911
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chord | core |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. | In general usage, an essential part of a thing surrounded by other essential things. |
Where the eye mixes chord and core
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses chord with core
A purely visual mix-up. chord (/kɔːd/) and core (/kɔː/) 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 13911, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chord is recorded at frequency rank #12,019, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɔːd/. core is at rank #1,892, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɔː/.
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 13911, this pair ranks #473,163 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of chord vs core
Shared letters: cor. Private to "chord": dh. Private to "core": e.
"chord" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "core" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "chord" and "core" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "chord" or "core"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "chord" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "core" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #473,163 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chord" and "core" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Cheri vs chord". 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 #473,163 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.