Which to use
“hej” is an intj and “hey” is a phrase - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,213
- “hej” frequency rank
- #1,010
- “hey” frequency rank
- 49223
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hej | hey |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | informelle Grußformel | als Grußwort |
Where the eye mixes hej and hey
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses hej with hey
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hej is [haɪ] while hey is [hɛɪ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - j in “hej” becomes y in “hey”, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs phrase), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49223, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hej is recorded at frequency rank #48,213, classified as anintj, pronounced [haɪ]. 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 49223, this pair ranks #1,219,420 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hej vs hey
Shared letters: eh. Private to "hej": j. Private to "hey": y.
"hej" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hey" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hej" and "hey" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "hej" or "hey"?
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 "hej" 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 #1,219,420 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hej" and "hey" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "heel vs hej". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,219,420 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.