'Chase' vs 'Chaise': What's the Difference?

‘Chase’ vs ‘chaise’: What’s the difference? Sometimes, one little letter can lead to a world of change. This article will help you understand the effects of spelling differences and teach you a thing or two about furniture. 

Are you in a rush? Here’s a preview of what’s to come: 

• ‘Chase’ is a word that means to run after  or seek something
• ‘Chaise’ is a word that refers to a couch designed for lounging

What’s the Difference Between ‘Chase’ vs ‘Chaise’?

The noticeable difference between these words is their spelling, but what does the extra “i” in ‘chaise’ really do to the word as a whole? 

• First, it changes the pronunciation. The word ‘chaise’ is almost directly borrowed from French and thus has a more fluid pronunciation. 
• Second, these words belong to two different parts of speech, meaning they have different grammatical functions within a sentence. 
• ‘Chase’ is a verb that describes an action — in this case, the action of pursuit. 
• Meanwhile, ‘chaise’ is a noun that describes an object — in this case, a chair. 

So, we now know what makes these two words different, but we have only scratched the surface regarding their meanings. Let’s take a closer look individually at ‘chase’ vs ‘chaise.’ 

Definition of ‘Chase’: What Does it Mean?

According to Oxford Languages, ‘chase’ is a verb that means:

• Pursue in order to catch up with 
  • “Police chased the stolen car through the city.”
• Seek to attain
  • “Thirty candidates chasing a single job.”
• Seek the company of a desired partner in an obvious way 
  • “Playing football by day and chasing women by night.”
• Drive or cause to go in a specific direction
  • “She chased him out of the house.”
• Try to make contact with someone in order to get something owed or required
  • “Chasing customers who had not paid their bills.”
• Make further investigation of an unresolved matter
  • “Investigators got a warrant but didn’t have time to chase down the case.”
• Engrave metal or design on metal
  • “They didn’t have foundries to cast or chase metal.”

As a noun, the word ‘chase’ can also mean:

• An act of pursuing someone or something
  • “They captured the youths after a brief chase.”
• Short for steeplechase
  • "The runner was competing chase today."
• Hunting as a sport
  • “She was an ardent follower of the chase.”
• (in letterpress printing) a metal frame for holding the composed type and blocks being printed at one time
• The part of the gun enclosing the bore
• A groove or furrow cut in the face of a wall or other surface to receive a pipe 

Also note that 'Chase' can also be a name, typically for a man. In that context, it is obviously a proper noun so be careful of how you use Chase as a name.

Synonyms of ‘Chase’

• Pursue
• Follow
• Hunt
• Go after
• Tail
• Track
• Drive away
• Send out
• Scatter
• Drive off
• Expel

Antonyms of ‘Chase’

• Run away
• Lead
• Go First
• Escape
• Retreat
• Guide
• Stay still

Phrases with ‘Chase’

• Cut to the chase
• Chase your tail
• Chase after
• Give chase
• Chase down
• Wild goose chase

Definition of ‘Chaise’: What Does it Mean? 

According to Oxford Languages, ‘chaise’ is a noun that means:

• A chair having a lengthened seat that forms a leg rest for reclining; short for chaise longue
  • “She rested on the chaise longue.”
• (historical) a horse-drawn carriage for one or two people, typically one with an open top and two wheels; another term for a post-chaise
  • “They rode along in their chaise.”

The word ‘chaise’ as it pertains to the piece of furniture, comes directly from the French word that means “chair.” The word is an excellent example of a borrowed term with an English pronunciation. 

Synonyms of ‘Chaise’

• Bunk
• Bed
• Cot
• Couch
• Bedstead
• Berth
• Coach 
• Carriage
• Charabanc

Antonyms of ‘Chaise’

• Stool
• Table
• Car 
• Bicycle

Pronunciations: How to Pronounce ‘Chase’ vs ‘Chaise’

Follow the guides below to get a better understanding of how to say these words correctly when using them in conversation. 

Use this phonetic spelling of ‘chase’ as a guide:

• ‘Tch-a-s’ (note that the first syllable is sharp, the vowel is bright as in “sway,” and the ‘s’ is not voiced as in “snake”)

Use this phonetic spelling of  ‘chaise’ as a guide:

• ‘Sh-ei-z’ (note the first syllable is softer, the ‘ai’ vowel combination is still bright, but the final ‘s’ is voiced like a ‘z’ as in “lazy” or “ways”)

How to Use ‘Chase’ vs ‘Chaise’ in a Sentence

The sample sentences below will give you an idea of the variety of contexts in which these words can appear. 

‘Chase’ Example Sentences

• He hated being ‘it’ while playing tag on the playground because he wasn’t fast enough when chasing people. 
• She was always encouraged to chase after her dreams no matter the obstacle, which is how she became a movie star. 
• The reporter wanted to chase down another person to interview after new details were revealed about the crime. 
• The robbers sent the police on a wild goose chase after feeding them false information. 
• The hardest part of letterpress work was ensuring the type stayed in the correct format within the chase. 

‘Chaise’ Example Sentences

• After a long day of work, he loved to kick his feet up on the chaise and read the paper. 
• The period reenactment included a segment on the street where the actors rode in a horse-drawn chaise. 
• She threw herself down onto the chaise longue and began to weep in a very dramatic fashion. 

‘Chase’ vs ‘Chaise’ Example Sentences

• The siblings chased each other around the living room until the oldest cornered the youngest behind the chaise. 
• The criminal was dashing away on horseback, so the police commandeered a chaise to chase after him. 

Final Advice on ‘Chase’ vs ‘Chaise’

Navigating the smallest differences can lead to big challenges, but when we tackle a word piece by piece, it becomes easier to understand. Remember that sometimes pronunciation can be the most important thing to start with so we have a basis for what makes the words different. 

Need a recap? Let’s do a review of what we learned: 

• ‘Chase’ is mainly a verb that means to pursue someone physically or romantically
• ‘Chaise’ is a noun short for “chaise longue” that refers to a long sofa

Want to learn more about how even the tiniest changes can make definition-altering differences? Be sure to check out other confusing word articles where we give you the tools to navigate words that are easily misspelled or mispronounced.