chunkvschunksWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,204
“chunk” frequency rank
#15,364
“chunks” frequency rank
27568
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature chunk chunks
Definition A part of something that has been separated; a generally squat, thick, irregular piece of something, e.g. wood or stone. plural of chunk

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
chunk
6 ch
chunks

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

chunk and chunks form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “chunk” sits inside “chunks” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27568, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

chunk is recorded at frequency rank #12,204, classified as anoun, pronounced /t͡ʃʌŋk/. chunks is at rank #15,364, tagged as anoun, pronounced /t͡ʃʌŋks/.

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 27568, this pair ranks #377,894 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

chunk#12,204
chunks#15,364

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "chunk" and "chunks" be used interchangeably?
No, "chunk" and "chunks" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering chunk vs chunks

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 “chunk” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list