Which to use
“hey” and “hi” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,010
- “hey” frequency rank
- #2,300
- “hi” frequency rank
- 3310
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hey | hi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | als Grußwort | 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 hey and hi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses hey with hi
A purely visual mix-up. hey ([hɛɪ̯]) and hi ([haɪ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3310, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hey is recorded at frequency rank #1,010, classified as aphrase, pronounced [hɛɪ̯]. 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 3310, this pair ranks #2,000,489 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hey vs hi
Shared letters: h. Private to "hey": ey. Private to "hi": i.
"hey" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hi" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hey" for "hi" ever safe?
Frequency check: "hey" vs "hi" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "hey" and "hi" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "hey" 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 #2,000,489 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hey" and "hi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hi vs höh". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,000,489 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.