caívschainWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: caí is a verb, chain is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“caí” is a verb and “chain” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,538
“caí” frequency rank
#42,879
“chain” frequency rank
54417
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature caí chain
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de caer o de caerse. Cadena.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set caí and chain apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
caí
5 ch
chain

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: caí is [kaˈi] while chain is /t͡ʃeɪn/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54417, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

caí is recorded at frequency rank #11,538, classified as averb, pronounced [kaˈi]. chain is at rank #42,879, tagged as anoun, pronounced /t͡ʃeɪn/.

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 54417, this pair ranks #83,397 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of caí vs chain

Shared letters: ac. Private to "caí": í. Private to "chain": hin.

"caí" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "chain" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • chaincahin · cchain · chainn · chani · chhain · hcain

Frequency comparison

caí#11,538
chain#42,879

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "caí" and "chain" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "caí" is a verb and "chain" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "caí" or "chain"?
"caí" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,538 in our Spanish list, against #42,879 for "chain". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering caí vs chain

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “caí”; for a noun, it's “chain”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “caí” 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