HakvsharkWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Hak is a name, hark is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Hak” is a name and “hark” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#48,790
“Hak” frequency rank
#36,592
“hark” frequency rank
85382
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hak hark
Definition A surname. To listen attentively.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Hak and hark apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
Hak
4 ch
hark

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: Hak is aname and harkaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85382, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hak is recorded at frequency rank #48,790, classified as aname. hark is at rank #36,592, tagged as averb, pronounced /hɑː(ɹ)k/.

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 85382, this pair ranks #10,473 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Hak vs hark

Shared letters: ahk. Private to "Hak": -. Private to "hark": r.

"Hak" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "hark" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • harkahrk · hakr · harkk · harrk · hhark · hrak

Frequency comparison

Hak#48,790
hark#36,592

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hak" and "hark" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Hak" is a name and "hark" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Hak" or "hark"?
"hark" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,592 in our English list, against #48,790 for "Hak". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Hak vs hark

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Hak”; for a verb, it's “hark”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Hak” 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