Which to use
“cha” is a noun and “ci” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,331
- “cha” frequency rank
- #264
- “ci” frequency rank
- 12595
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cha | ci |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Vingt-sixième lettre de l’alphabet cyrillique, ш. | ou (Utilisé uniquement dans les compositions, pas utilisé isolément) Ici. |
Where the eye mixes cha and ci
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between cha and ci
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cha is \ʃa\ while ci is \si\. 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 adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12595, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cha is recorded at frequency rank #12,331, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʃa\. ci is at rank #264, tagged as anadv, pronounced \si\.
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 12595, this pair ranks #404,581 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cha vs ci
Shared letters: c. Private to "cha": ah. Private to "ci": i.
"cha" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "ci" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cha" for "ci" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "cha" or "ci" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "cha" and "ci" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "cha" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ci" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #404,581 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cha" and "ci" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "CCE vs cha". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #404,581 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.