Difference Between Chose and Choose

Chose vs. Choose

‘Chose’ and ‘choose’ are two words that have slight definition differences; however, they are commonly misspelled as one another. Unfortunately, because they are both words, the spell checker program typically does not highlight either as being wrong no matter how it is used. Every day we all make choices. In fact, it is a choice which type of ‘choose’ you want to use when you write versus when you speak. One is just more suitable to certain tenses. Spellers seem to consistently confuse the two as they are spelled the same with one additional ‘o’ in ‘choose’ with the same meaning. The only large difference which determines when one or the other should be used is the time frame of when certain conversations or actions are taking place.

To choose is the action of selecting something from any number of choices or possibilities, whereas ‘chose’ is the action of selecting something from any number of choices or possibilities in the past. Sometimes we can choose to do something based on preferences, and other times it is merely a determination of the best outcome. When we chose to make a certain decision, it was done for personal reasons, but the ability to select and choose an outcome in the past is ‘chose.’ A person can choose or could have chosen anything from an item, another person, to even an outcome to any given situation. To choose is a verb that takes place in the present tense and is synonymous with ‘elect, name, handpick, prefer,’ and, of course, ‘select.’

‘Chose’ is synonymous to ‘selected, picked, elected, named,’ and ‘preferred.’ If you notice, all the synonyms are the same as ‘choose’; however, they are in the past tense as well. If I am deciding what to do now at this time and place, I am going to choose something. If you are writing and telling a story of an important selection that was made, it would be prudent to choose ‘chose’ as a proper verb tense. In the dictionary, ‘choose’ is after ‘chook’ and before the words ‘choose up.’ ‘Chose’ is in the dictionary below ‘choose’ as they share the same definition merely a different tense in which they should be used. Both words were derived before the 12th century in Old English to mean exactly what they do today.
Summary:

1. ‘Chose’ and ‘choose’ have the same meaning. ‘Choose’ means to select from any number of possibilities. ‘Chose’ means to have selected from any number of possibilities in the past.
2. ‘Elect, name, prefer,’ and ‘select’ are synonyms for the word ‘choose.’ ‘Elected, named, preferred,’ and ‘selected’ are synonyms for the word ‘chose.’ They are the same, merely different tenses.
3. If you are speaking of events in the past, ‘chose’ is the appropriate way to word or write a sentence. Any events that are now and in the future should use ‘choose.’
4. Both words are commonly confused for one another as they share the same meaning, and the only spelling difference is an extra ‘o’ in ‘choose.’

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