Which to use
“hey” is a phrase and “hob” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,010
- “hey” frequency rank
- #5,380
- “hob” frequency rank
- 6390
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hey | hob |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | als Grußwort | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs heben |
Where the eye mixes hey and hob
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses hey with hob
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hey is [hɛɪ̯] while hob is [hoːp]. 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 (phrase vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6390, 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]. hob is at rank #5,380, tagged as averb, pronounced [hoːp].
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 6390, this pair ranks #1,991,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hey vs hob
Shared letters: h. Private to "hey": ey. Private to "hob": bo.
"hey" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hob" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hey" and "hob" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "hey" vs "hob" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hey" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hob" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,991,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hey" and "hob" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hob vs höh". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,991,806 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.