choicevschoseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“choice” and “chose” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#30,944
“choice” frequency rank
#158
“chose” frequency rank
31102
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature choice chose
Definition Choix. Objet, idée ou abstraction quelconque, sans pouvoir, vouloir, ou devoir l’identifier ou la nommer. Note d’usage : La signification du mot chose se déduit par la manière dont on l’emploie dans la phrase, où il remplace ce qu’il n’est pas possible (ou pas souhaitable) de nommer. Peut aussi remplacer un ensemble d’objets inanimés (ou d’idées) qu’on devine par le contexte.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set choice and chose apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
choice
5 ch
chose

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

choice and chose form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31102, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

choice is recorded at frequency rank #30,944, classified as anoun, pronounced \t͡ʃɔɪs\. chose is at rank #158, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʃoz\.

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 31102, this pair ranks #305,970 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

choice#30,944
chose#158

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "choice" and "chose" be used interchangeably?
No, "choice" and "chose" 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 choice vs chose

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 “choice” 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