Which to use
“ago” is an adverb and “ahoi” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,897
- “ago” frequency rank
- #29,909
- “ahoi” frequency rank
- 62806
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ago | ahoi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vor | bei der Schifffahrt gebräuchlicher Ausruf, um ein anderes Schiff anzurufen oder auf dieses aufmerksam zu machen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ago and ahoi apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ago is [əˈɡəʊ] while ahoi is [aˈhɔɪ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62806, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ago is recorded at frequency rank #32,897, classified as anadv, pronounced [əˈɡəʊ]. ahoi is at rank #29,909, tagged as anintj, pronounced [aˈhɔɪ̯].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 62806, this pair ranks #699,524 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ago vs ahoi
Shared letters: ao. Private to "ago": g. Private to "ahoi": hi.
"ago" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ahoi" · 4 letters · shape VCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- ahoi ← ahhoi · ahio · aohi · haoi
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ago" and "ahoi" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ago" or "ahoi"?
Remembering ago vs ahoi
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “ago”; for an intj, it's “ahoi”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ago” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable