What’s the difference between chef and chief?

This week we are looking at some words that some learners of English may find confusing: chef and chief.

chef

A chef is a cook in a hotel or restaurant.

Her recipe was passed on to the chef.

He works as a chef in a large Paris hotel.

chief

The chief of a group or organization is its leader.

I spoke to the chief of UK operations.

The police chief has resigned.

Find out more in our English Usage article.

This blogpost is based on Collins COBUILD English Usage, written for learners of English. For more examples of English usage points, please visit:  https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.

Related Articles

Other Articles

What’s the difference between pair and couple?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused by learners of English: pair and couple. pair You use a pair of to talk about two things of the same size and shape that are used together, such as… Read More

What’s the difference between lay and lie?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused by learners of English: lay and lie. lay Lay is a transitive verb, and it is also a past tense of another verb, ‘lie’. To lay something somewhere means to put it there carefully… Read More

What’s the difference between floor and ground?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused by learners of English: floor and ground. floor The floor of a room is the flat part you walk on. The book fell to the floor. They were sitting on the floor. A floor of… Read More
collinsdictionary