Ey or hey?
ey is a noun meaning “An egg”; hey is an interjection meaning “An exclamation to get attention”. Use ey as a noun and hey as an interjection (hey is also a noun: “A choreographic figure in which three or more dancers weave…”). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) hey is about 68 times as common as ey.
What is the difference between ey and hey?
| ey | hey | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, pronoun, interjection, suffix | interjection, verb, noun |
| Meaning | An egg UKA small island formed by the buildup of silt or gravel at the confluence of two rivers or streams A place that has a name ending in "-ey" because it is or was located at such an island | informalAn exclamation to get attention informalA protest or reprimand informalTo greet with a "hey" |
| Example | none recorded | Hey, look at this! |
| Forms | eyren eys | hay, heigh |
| Pronunciation | /eɪ/ | /heɪ/ |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words | 132 times per million words |
Sources: ey and hey in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of ey and hey
ey
- 1
An egg
- 2
UKA small island formed by the buildup of silt or gravel at the confluence of two rivers or streams
- 3
Alternative form of hey
- 4
Alternative form of -y (adjectival suffix)
- 5
Alternative form of -y /-ie (diminutive suffix)
- 6
A place that has a name ending in "-ey" because it is or was located at such an island
hey
- 1
informalAn exclamation to get attention
Hey, look at this!
- 2
informalTo greet with a "hey"
- 3
informalA choreographic figure in which three or more dancers weave between one another, passing by left and right shoulder alternately
- 4
informalAlternative spelling of he (“Hebrew letter”)
- 5
informalA protest or reprimand
Hey! Stop that!
- 6
informalAn expression of surprise
Hey! This is new!
- 7
informalAn informal greeting, similar to hi
Hey! How's it going?
- 8
informalA request for repetition or explanation; an expression of confusion
Hey? How's that?
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, ey or hey?
ey appears 1.9 times per million words; hey 132 times per million words.
ey 1.9 times per million wordshey 132 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).