Choose, Choice, or Chose?

Our Story

Choose, Choice, or Chose?

What is the difference between "choose," "choice," and "chose"?
  • "To choose" means to decide between two or more options. For example:
    • Choose tea or coffee.
  • "Chose" is the past tense of "to choose." For example:
    • I chose a different path to you.
  • "Choice" means an option, an alternative, or a possibility. It can also describe the act of choosing. For example:
    • That was a fine choice, sir.
choose, choice, or chose?
Got it? Take a quick test.

More about "Choose," "Choice," and "Chose"

Occasionally, there is confusion over the words "choose" and "choice" (especially among non-English speakers). Click below to hear how each word is pronounced:
"choose, chose, choice"

Choose

The word "choose" is a verb that means "to select from a number of possibilities."

Example sentence with "choose":
  • We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.
  • Feminism is the ability to choose what you want to do.

Chose

The word "chose" is the past tense of "to choose."

Example sentence with "chose":
  • Americans chose a limited government that exists to protect our rights, not to grant them. (Politician Marco Rubio)
  • I was told I wasn't good enough, but I chose not to listen. (Singer-songwriter Khalid)
The past participle of "to choose" is "chosen."
  • If the career you have chosen has some unexpected inconvenience, console yourself by reflecting that no career is without them. (Actress Jane Fonda)

Choice

The word "choice" is a noun. A "choice" is the right, power, or opportunity to choose.

Example sentence with "choice":
  • Happiness is a choice that requires effort sometimes.
  • I demolish my bridges behind me so there is no choice but forward.
Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

Help Us To Improve Grammar Monster

  • Do you disagree with something on this page?
  • Did you spot a typo?
Please tell us using this form.

See Also

adverse or averse? affect or effect? appraise or apprise? avenge or revenge? bare or bear? complement or compliment? dependant or dependent? discreet or discrete? disinterested or uninterested? e.g. or i.e.? envy or jealousy? imply or infer? its or it's? material or materiel? poisonous or venomous? practice or practise? principal or principle? cannot or can not? who's or whose? What are adjectives? What are nouns? List of easily confused words