Which to use
“hau” is a verb and “hey” is a phrase - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,064
- “hau” frequency rank
- #1,010
- “hey” frequency rank
- 8074
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hau | hey |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Präsens Imperativ Aktiv des Verbs hauen | als Grußwort |
Where the eye mixes hau and hey
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: hau vs hey
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hau is [haʊ̯] while hey is [hɛɪ̯]. 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 phrase), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8074, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hau is recorded at frequency rank #7,064, classified as averb, pronounced [haʊ̯]. hey is at rank #1,010, tagged as aphrase, pronounced [hɛɪ̯].
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 8074, this pair ranks #1,985,732 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hau vs hey
Shared letters: h. Private to "hau": au. Private to "hey": ey.
"hau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hey" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hau" for "hey" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "hau" or "hey" 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 "hau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hey" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,985,732 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hau" and "hey" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hau vs haze". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,985,732 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.