# choose

> English word · Verb · IPA /t͡ʃuːz/ · frequency rank #1,296

## Definitions
1. To pick; to make the choice of; to select.
2. To elect.
3. To decide to act in a certain way.
4. To prefer; to wish; to desire.

## Etymology
From Middle English cheosen, chesen, from Old English ċēosan (“to choose, seek out, select, elect, decide, test, accept, settle for, approve”), from Proto-West Germanic *keusan, from Proto-Germanic *keusaną (“to taste, choose”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵéwseti, from *ǵews- (“to taste, try”).
Cognate with Scots chuise, cheese (“to choose”), North Frisian kese (“to choose”), Saterland Frisian kjoze (“to choose”), West Frisian kieze (“to choose”), Dutch kiezen (“to choose”), French choisir (“to choose”), Low German kesen (“to choose”), German Low German kiesen (“to pick, select”), archaic and partially obsolete German kiesen (“to choose”), Danish kyse (“to frighten (via ‘to charm, allure’ and ‘to enchant’)”), Norwegian kjose (“to choose”), Swedish tjusa (“to charm, allure, enchant”), Icelandic kjósa (“to choose, vote, elect”), Gothic 𐌺𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽 (kiusan, “to test”), Latin gustō (“to taste, sample”), Ancient Greek γεύω (geúō, “to feed”), Sanskrit जोषति (jóṣati, “to like, enjoy”), Russian кушать (kúšatʹ, “to have a meal, to eat”).

## Easily confused with
- **coos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choose-vs-coos)
- **close** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choose-vs-close)
- **chose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choose-vs-chose)
- **chops** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choose-vs-chops)
- **chore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choose-vs-chore)
- **chosen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choose-vs-chosen)
- **chrome** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choose-vs-chrome)
- **crosse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choose-vs-crosse)
- **chooses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choose-vs-chooses)
- **choo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choo-vs-choose)
- **chase** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chase-vs-choose)
- **chaos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chaos-vs-choose)
- **Chloe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chloe-vs-choose)
- **choke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choke-vs-choose)
- **choice** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/choice-vs-choose)
- **cheese** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cheese-vs-choose)
- **chaise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chaise-vs-choose)
- **caboose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caboose-vs-choose)
- **chews** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chews-vs-choose)

## Common misspellings (7)
`cchoose`, `chhoose`, `chooes`, `choosse`, `chosoe`, `cohose`, `hcoose`

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