Which to use
“chain” is a noun and “chao” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,879
- “chain” frequency rank
- #15,302
- “chao” frequency rank
- 58181
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chain | chao |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cadena. | Utilizado como informalidad para despedirse. |
Where the eye mixes chain and chao
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses chain with chao
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: chain is /t͡ʃeɪn/ while chao is [ˈt͡ʃao]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58181, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chain is recorded at frequency rank #42,879, classified as anoun, pronounced /t͡ʃeɪn/. chao is at rank #15,302, tagged as anintj, pronounced [ˈt͡ʃao].
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 58181, this pair ranks #67,449 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of chain vs chao
Shared letters: ach. Private to "chain": in. Private to "chao": o.
"chain" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "chao" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "chain" for "chao" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "chain" or "chao" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "chain" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chao" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #67,449 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chain" and "chao" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chain vs coin". 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 #67,449 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.