Which to use
“haggard” is an adjective and “hazard” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,198
- “haggard” frequency rank
- #7,348
- “hazard” frequency rank
- 38546
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | haggard | hazard |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Looking exhausted, worried, or poor in condition | The chance of suffering harm; danger, peril, risk of loss. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set haggard and hazard apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: haggard is /ˈhæɡ.əd/ while hazard is /ˈhæzəd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38546, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
haggard is recorded at frequency rank #31,198, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈhæɡ.əd/. hazard is at rank #7,348, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈhæzəd/.
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 38546, this pair ranks #284,965 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of haggard vs hazard
Shared letters: adhr. Private to "haggard": g. Private to "hazard": z.
"haggard" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "hazard" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "haggard" and "hazard" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "haggard" or "hazard"?
Remembering haggard vs hazard
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “haggard”; for a noun, it's “hazard”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “haggard” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable