Which to use
“chase” and “chess” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,327
- “chase” frequency rank
- #49,866
- “chess” frequency rank
- 60193
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chase | chess |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | caçada | xadrez |
Where the eye mixes chase and chess
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between chase and chess
A purely visual mix-up. chase (/tʃeɪs/, SAMPA: /tSeIs/) and chess (/ˈtʃɛs/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60193, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chase is recorded at frequency rank #10,327, classified as anoun, pronounced /tʃeɪs/, SAMPA: /tSeIs/. chess is at rank #49,866, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtʃɛs/.
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 60193, this pair ranks #7,785 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of chase vs chess
Shared letters: cehs. Private to "chase": a. Private to "chess": -.
"chase" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "chess" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "chase" for "chess" ever safe?
Frequency check: "chase" vs "chess" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "chase" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chess" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #7,785 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chase" and "chess" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chassi vs chess". 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 #7,785 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.