hi

Name: hi, German Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

[haɪ̯]

/[haɪ̯]/ phrase

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“hi” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #2,300 in German word frequency and used as a phrase.

#2,300
frequency rank, German: 2
letters: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 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 we...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hi vs hm

50% similar

hi vs hl

50% similar

hi vs Ho

0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hi
Property	Value
Headword	hi
Language	German
Part of speech	Phrase
IPA	[haɪ̯]
Letters	2
Frequency rank	#2,300
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hi” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). hi lands here:

#2,300

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for hi is 2 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [haɪ̯]. Corpus data places it at rank #2,300 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for hi in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hm", "hl", "Ho", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is hi, spelled H-I.

Definition

1
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)
2
freundschaftliche, familiäre schriftliche Anrede bei E-Mails und SMS

Synonyms

he hei hey

This word in other languages

hi(English)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hi"?

"hi" is spelled H-I. The IPA pronunciation is [haɪ̯].

What does "hi" mean?

As a phrase, "hi" means: 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 we...

What words are commonly confused with "hi"?

"hi" is commonly confused with "hm", "hl", "Ho". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "hi"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hi" is [haɪ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "hi" come from?

"hi" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “hi”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct German spelling is H-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as [haɪ̯] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “hm” - see the side-by-side comparison. hi vs hm
Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.