Which to use
“hau” and “hol” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,064
- “hau” frequency rank
- #5,270
- “hol” frequency rank
- 12334
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hau | hol |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Präsens Imperativ Aktiv des Verbs hauen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs holen |
Where the eye mixes hau and hol
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses hau with hol
A purely visual mix-up. hau ([haʊ̯]) and hol ([hoːl]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12334, 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]. hol is at rank #5,270, tagged as averb, pronounced [hoːl].
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 12334, this pair ranks #1,964,790 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hau vs hol
Shared letters: h. Private to "hau": au. Private to "hol": lo.
"hau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hol" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hau" and "hol" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hau" or "hol"?
Useful next steps
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 "hol" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,964,790 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hau" and "hol" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hau vs haze". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,964,790 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.