The Horse Chestnut is an entirely different tree from the Sweet Chestnut, and its nuts are unfit for human consumption.
To tell the difference between an edible chestnut and a non-edible chestnut (Horse Chestnut or Buckeye), take a close look at the pod that the chestnuts grow in.
The pod of the edible sweet chestnut has a sort of “porcupine” look to it.
The chestnuts from a Horse Chestnut or Buckeye have short bumpy spikes on a smooth ball shaped fruit.
Don’t eat them!