chow and ciao are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. chow means “the imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC; notable for the rise of Confucianism and Taoism”. ciao means “an acknowledgment that can be used to say hello or goodbye (aloha is Hawaiian and ciao is Italian)”.
/ˈtʃaʊ/
1.n.the imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC; notable for the rise of Confucianism and Taoism
2.n.informal terms for a meal
3.n.breed of medium-sized dogs with a thick coat and fluffy curled tails and distinctive blue-black tongues; believed to have originated in northern China
/ˈtʃaʊ/
| chow | ciao | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈtʃaʊ/ | /ˈtʃaʊ/ |
| Said | chow | chow |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun |
| Senses | 3 | 1 |
| How common | Common | Common |
| Synonyms | Zhou, Zhou dynasty, Chou | aloha |
Full entry for chow · Full entry for ciao · More comparisons
1.n.an acknowledgment that can be used to say hello or goodbye (aloha is Hawaiian and ciao is Italian)