Chit vs. Chip: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Updated on September 27, 2023
Chit refers to a short official note, voucher, or authorization, while a chip is a small piece broken, cut, or eroded from a larger object, or an integrated circuit.
Key Differences
The word "chit" is utilized to depict a short, official note, such as a voucher or a token, often used to make informal requests or to keep a record of small transactions. In contrast, the word "chip" denotes a small piece that has been broken, cut, or eroded away from a larger entity; it can also mean an integrated circuit used in computer technology. The essential difference here lies in their usage; one serves a purpose in communication or record-keeping, while the other is primarily physical or technological.
Chit can refer to various forms of notes or vouchers, implying a form of written authorization or acknowledgment. It may be used to convey brief messages or serve as a record for small transactions or borrowings. On the other hand, a chip, when referring to a broken piece, can be from any material, like wood or glass, representing a fragment of a larger whole, or it can refer to the technologically advanced silicon chips integral to modern electronic devices.
In informal contexts, a chit can represent a minimal, casual form of communication or an acknowledgment slip, highlighting its role in informal or everyday transactions and interactions. Alternatively, a chip, in its technological sense, symbolizes advancements and developments in electronics and computing, emphasizing its role in modern technology, and its physical sense reveals its accidental or incidental nature when part of something breaks away.
To summarize, "chit" encompasses short written notes, often for informal communications or minor transactions, emphasizing its role in conveying messages or keeping records. In contrast, "chip" extends to signify small, broken pieces of larger objects or advanced technological components, underlining its dual role in representing fragments and advancements in technology.
Comparison Chart
Definition
A short official note or voucher
A small piece broken from a larger object or an integrated circuit
ADVERTISEMENT
Usage
Communication, record-keeping
Physical object, Technology
Nature
Written, Informal
Physical, Technological
Context
Transactions, Borrowings, Authorizations
Electronics, Computing, Materials
Material
Paper
Various, including silicon
Chit and Chip Definitions
Chit
A short official note or memorandum.
The manager handed a chit to the employee as a record of leave approval.
ADVERTISEMENT
Chip
An integrated circuit or microchip.
The computer’s processor is a powerful chip designed for multitasking.
Chit
A note giving a person permission to do something.
The student had a chit allowing him to leave school early.
Chip
A thin slice of food made crisp by being cooked.
He grabbed a bag of potato chips from the store.
Chit
A written message or request.
He passed a chit to his friend during the class.
Chip
A counter used in certain gambling games.
He placed a chip on the table as his bet.
Chit
A statement of an amount owed for food and drink, especially one signed to indicate acceptance of the charge.
Chip
A mark or flaw left by the removal of a small piece.
There’s a chip in the windshield that needs repairing.
Chit
A short letter; a note.
Chip
A small broken or cut off piece, as of wood, stone, or glass.
Chit
A ticket or token, especially one redeemable for food or drink.
Chip
A crack or flaw caused by the removal of a small piece.
Chit
(Informal) An amount of credit considered as earned, especially by favorably impressing one having power or influence
Earned vital chits with his party's leadership by making fundraising speeches.
Chip
A small disk or counter used in poker and other games to represent money.
Chit
A child.
Chip
Chips Slang Money.
Chit
A young woman regarded as immature or insignificant.
Chip
See microchip.
Chit
A child or babe; a young, small, or insignificant person or animal.
Chip
A thin, usually fried slice of food, especially a potato chip
Ate chips with her sandwich.
Chit
A pert or sassy young person, especially a young woman.
Chip
A very small piece of food or candy
Made cookies with chocolate chips.
Chit
The embryonic growing bud of a plant
The chits of Indian corn or of potatoes
Chip
Chips Chiefly British French fries.
Chit
(obsolete) An excrescence on the body, as a wart or a pimple.
Chip
Wood, palm leaves, straw, or similar material cut and dried for weaving.
Chit
A small sheet or scrap of paper with a hand-written note as a reminder or personal message.
Chip
A fragment of dried animal dung used as fuel.
Chit
(historical) A voucher or token coin used in payrolls under the truck system.
Chip
Something worthless.
Chit
(pharmacology) A small sheet of paper on which is written a prescription to be filled; a scrip.
Chip
(Sports) A chip shot.
Chit
(gaming) A smaller cardboard counter generally used not to directly represent something but for another, more transient, purpose such as tracking or randomization.
Chip
A trick method of throwing one's opponent in wrestling.
Chit
A signed voucher or memorandum of a small debt, as for food and drinks at a club.
Chip
To chop or cut with an axe or other implement.
Chit
A debt or favor owed in return for a prior loan or favor granted, especially a political favor.
Chip
To break a small piece from
Chip a tooth.
Chit
A small tool used in cleaving laths. Compare: froe.
Chip
To break or cut off (a small piece)
Chip ice from the window.
Chit
Shit.
Chip
To shape or carve by cutting or chopping
Chipped her name in the stone.
Chit
To sprout; to shoot, as a seed or plant.
Chip
To implant a microchip in (an organism).
Chit
To damage the outer layers of a seed such as Lupinus or Sophora to assist germination.
Chip
To become broken off into small pieces.
Chit
To initiate sprouting of tubers, such as potatoes, by placing them in special environment, before planting into the soil.
Chip
(Sports) To make a chip shot in golf.
Chit
Shit.
Chip
To cheep, as a bird.
Chit
The embryo or the growing bud of a plant; a shoot; a sprout; as, the chits of Indian corn or of potatoes.
Chip
A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material.
Chit
A child or babe; as, a forward chit; also, a young, small, or insignificant person or animal.
A little chit of a woman.
Chip
A damaged area of a surface where a small piece has been broken off.
This cup has a chip in it.
Chit
An excrescence on the body, as a wart.
Chip
A token used in place of cash.
Chit
A small tool used in cleaving laths.
Chip
A sovereign the coin.
Chit
A short letter or note; a written message or memorandum; a certificate given to a servant; a pass, or the like.
Chip
(electronics) A circuit fabricated in one piece on a small, thin substrate.
Chit
A signed voucher or memorandum of a small debt, as for food and drinks at a club.
Chip
(electronics) A hybrid device mounted in a substrate, containing electronic circuitry and miniaturised mechanical, chemical and/or biochemical devices.
Chit
To shoot out; to sprout.
I have known barley chit in seven hours after it had been thrown forth.
Chip
A fried strip of potato of square or rectangular cross-section; a french fry.
Do you want sauce or mayonnaise on your chips?
Chit
Chideth.
Chip
A thin, crisp, fried slice of potato, or sometimes another vegetable; a crisp.
They made their own potato chips from scratch, he ate a tortilla chip, served with a side of apple chips
Chit
The bill in a restaurant;
He asked the waiter for the check
Chip
(sports) A shot during which the ball travels more predominantly upwards than in a regular shot, as to clear an obstacle.
Chit
A signed voucher of a small debt.
Sarah gave a chit to John as proof of the money borrowed.
Chip
(curling) A takeout that hits a rock at an angle.
Chit
A token or short note representing a debt or obligation.
The librarian gave me a chit for the overdue book fine.
Chip
A dried piece of dung, often used as fuel.
Chip
A receptacle, usually for strawberries or other fruit.
Chip
(gastronomy) A small, near-conical piece of food added in baking.
Chocolate chip
Chip
A small rectangle of colour printed on coated paper for colour selection and matching. A virtual equivalent in software applications.
Chip
(nautical) The triangular piece of wood attached to the log line.
Chip
(historical) Wood or Cuban palm leaf split into slips, or straw plaited in a special manner, for making hats or bonnets.
Chip
Anything dried up, withered, or without flavour.
Chip
(golf) A low shot that travels further along the ground than it does in the air.
Chip
(transitive) To chop or cut into small pieces.
The workers chipped the dead branches into mulch.
Chip
(transitive) To break small pieces from.
Be careful not to chip the paint.
Chip
To play a shot hitting the ball predominantly upwards rather than forwards. In association football specifically, when the shot is a shot on goal, the opposing goalkeeper may be the direct object of the verb, rather than the ball.
Chip
To upgrade an engine management system, usually to increase power.
Chip
(intransitive) To become chipped.
This varnish chips easily.
Chip
To ante (up).
Chip
To fit (an animal) with a microchip.
Chip
To contribute.
Everyone needs to chip in £1 for George's leaving collection
Chip
(also, to chip at) To make fun of.
Chip
To cut small pieces from; to diminish or reduce to shape, by cutting away a little at a time; to hew.
Chip
To break or crack, or crack off a portion of, as of an eggshell in hatching, or a piece of crockery.
Chip
To bet, as with chips in the game of poker.
Chip
To break or fly off in small pieces.
Chip
A piece of wood, stone, or other substance, separated by an ax, chisel, or cutting instrument.
Chip
A fragment or piece broken off; a small piece.
Chip
Wood or Cuban palm leaf split into slips, or straw plaited in a special manner, for making hats or bonnets.
Chip
Anything dried up, withered, or without flavor; - used contemptuously.
Chip
One of the counters used in poker and other games.
Chip
The triangular piece of wood attached to the log line.
Chip
A small fragment of something broken off from the whole;
A bit of rock caught him in the eye
Chip
A triangular wooden float attached to the end of a log line
Chip
A piece of dried bovine dung
Chip
A thin crisp slice of potato fried in deep fat
Chip
A mark left after a small piece has been chopped or broken off of something
Chip
A small disk-shaped counter used to represent money when gambling
Chip
Electronic equipment consisting of a small crystal of a silicon semiconductor fabricated to carry out a number of electronic functions in an integrated circuit
Chip
A low running approach shot
Chip
The act of chipping something
Chip
Break off (a piece from a whole);
Her tooth chipped
Chip
Cut a nick into
Chip
Play a chip shot
Chip
Form by chipping;
They chipped their names in the stone
Chip
Break a small piece off from;
Chip the glass
Chip a tooth
Chip
A small fragment broken off from a larger piece.
He noticed a chip on the rim of his coffee mug.
FAQs
Is a chip always related to technology?
No, a chip can also refer to a small piece broken off from a larger object, among other meanings.
Does a chit always have to be signed?
Typically, a chit is signed for acknowledgment, but it may not be necessary in informal settings.
Is a chit always a form of debt acknowledgment?
No, a chit can also be a note, voucher, or permission slip, not necessarily related to debt.
Can chit be used informally?
Yes, chits can be used in both formal and informal settings for minor communications.
Can a chip refer to food?
Yes, a chip can refer to thin slices of food, like potato chips.
Can a chit be digital?
Yes, in modern usage, a chit can also be a digital note or message.
Is a chip always a small piece?
Generally yes, a chip usually refers to a small piece or fragment.
Is a chit legally binding?
A chit may not be legally binding but can serve as a record of transactions or permissions.
Can a chip be manufactured intentionally?
Yes, chips like microchips are manufactured intentionally for various technologies.
Does the term chit have a fixed format?
No, the format of a chit can vary depending on its purpose and context.
Can chit be used in schools?
Yes, chits can be used in schools for permissions, messages, or acknowledgments.
Is the term chip used in gambling?
Yes, in gambling, chip refers to the counters used to represent money.
Is a chip a component of computers?
Yes, in technology, a chip is a common term for an integrated circuit in computers.
Can chits be exchanged between individuals?
Yes, chits can be exchanged between individuals as a form of informal communication or acknowledgment.
Can the term chip denote a defect?
Yes, a chip can denote a defect or flaw, like a chip in glass or pottery.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
