hayvshomWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hay is a noun, hom is a pronoun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hay” is a noun and “hom” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,588
“hay” frequency rank
#43,252
“hom” frequency rank
75840
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hay hom
Definition Tierfutter; Heu die Leute, irgendwelche Leute

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hay and hom apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
hay
3 ch
hom

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: hay is anoun and homapronoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75840, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hay is recorded at frequency rank #32,588, classified as anoun, pronounced [heɪ]. hom is at rank #43,252, tagged as apron, pronounced […].

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 75840, this pair ranks #298,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of hay vs hom

Shared letters: h. Private to "hay": ay. Private to "hom": mo.

"hay" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "hom" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

hay#32,588
hom#43,252

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hay" and "hom" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hay" is a noun and "hom" a pronoun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hay" or "hom"?
"hay" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,588 in our German list, against #43,252 for "hom". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hay vs hom

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “hay”; for a pronoun, it's “hom”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hay” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list