höhvshonWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“höh” and “hon” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#48,239
“höh” frequency rank
#40,001
“hon” frequency rank
88240
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature höh hon
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs höhen 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs honen

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
höh
3 ch
hon

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. höh ([høː]) and hon ([hoːn]) 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 88240, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

höh is recorded at frequency rank #48,239, classified as averb, pronounced [høː]. hon is at rank #40,001, tagged as averb, pronounced [hoːn].

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 88240, this pair ranks #70,682 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of höh vs hon

Shared letters: h. Private to "höh": ö. Private to "hon": no.

"höh" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "hon" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

höh#48,239
hon#40,001

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "höh" and "hon" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([høː] versus [hoːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "höh" or "hon"?
"hon" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,001 in our German list, against #48,239 for "höh". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering höh vs hon

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “höh” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list