Which to use
“hak” is a verb and “hej” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,795
- “hak” frequency rank
- #48,213
- “hej” frequency rank
- 87008
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hak | hej |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs haken | informelle Grußformel |
Where the eye mixes hak and hej
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. hak and hej follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses hak with hej
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hak is [haːk] while hej is [haɪ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 87008, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hak is recorded at frequency rank #38,795, classified as averb, pronounced [haːk]. hej is at rank #48,213, tagged as anintj, pronounced [haɪ].
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 87008, this pair ranks #85,931 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hak vs hej
Shared letters: h. Private to "hak": ak. Private to "hej": ej.
"hak" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hej" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hak" and "hej" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "hak" or "hej"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "hak" and "hej" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "hak" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hej" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #85,931 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hak" and "hej" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "heel vs hej". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #85,931 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.