# ahem vs Alec

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### ahem
*intj · IPA /əˈhɛm/ · frequency rank #20,828*
The sound of a quiet cough or of clearing one's throat.

### Alec
*name · IPA /ˈælɪk/ · frequency rank #12,003*
A diminutive of the male given name Alexander, from Ancient Greek, of Scottish origin.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ahem-vs-alec