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Chafe vs Chaff

Chafe means to irritate or annoy something.

  • The new running shoes chafed John’s feet.

Chaff, as a verb, means to tease good-naturedly.

  • Patty’s teammates chaffed her for being late again to practice.

Chaff, as a noun, are husks separated from seeds during threshing.

  • The field workers literally separated the wheat from the chaff.