Which to use
“har” is an adverb and “hi” is a phrase - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,383
- “har” frequency rank
- #2,300
- “hi” frequency rank
- 38683
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | har | hi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dort | freundschaftliche, familiäre mündliche Begrüßung bei persönlichen Begegnungen und Telefongesprächen, bei denen der Angerufene weiß, wer ihn anruft (so dass auf eine Nennung des Namens verzichtet werden kann) |
Where the eye mixes har and hi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between har and hi
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: har is [hɛaɹ] while hi is [haɪ̯]. 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 phrase), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38683, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
har is recorded at frequency rank #36,383, classified as anadv, pronounced [hɛaɹ]. hi is at rank #2,300, tagged as aphrase, pronounced [haɪ̯].
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 38683, this pair ranks #1,557,421 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of har vs hi
Shared letters: h. Private to "har": ar. Private to "hi": i.
"har" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hi" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "har" for "hi" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "har" or "hi" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "har" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,557,421 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "har" and "hi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "har vs haze". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,557,421 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.