Which to use
“chase” is a noun and “choose” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,327
- “chase” frequency rank
- #31,290
- “choose” frequency rank
- 41617
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chase | choose |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | caçada | escolher |
Where the eye mixes chase and choose
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. chase runs 5 letters (CCVCV) against choose's 6 (CCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses chase with choose
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: chase is /tʃeɪs/, SAMPA: /tSeIs/ while choose is /t͡ʃuːz/, enPR: cho͞oz. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41617, 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/. choose is at rank #31,290, tagged as averb, pronounced /t͡ʃuːz/, enPR: cho͞oz.
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 41617, this pair ranks #24,281 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of chase vs choose
Shared letters: cehs. Private to "chase": a. Private to "choose": o.
"chase" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "choose" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "chase" for "choose" ever safe?
Frequency check: "chase" vs "choose" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "chase" and "choose" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "chase" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "choose" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #24,281 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chase" and "choose" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chase 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 #24,281 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.