Which to use
“hamper” and “hopper” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,659
- “hamper” frequency rank
- #15,425
- “hopper” frequency rank
- 36084
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hamper | hopper |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A large basket, usually with a cover, used for the packing and carrying of articles or small animals. | One who or that which hops. |
Where the eye mixes hamper and hopper
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses hamper with hopper
A purely visual mix-up. hamper (/ˈhæm.pə/) and hopper (/ˈhɒp.ə(ɹ)/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36084, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hamper is recorded at frequency rank #20,659, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈhæm.pə/. hopper is at rank #15,425, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈhɒp.ə(ɹ)/.
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 36084, this pair ranks #306,293 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hamper vs hopper
Shared letters: ehpr. Private to "hamper": am. Private to "hopper": o.
"hamper" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hopper" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hamper" and "hopper" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hamper" or "hopper"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hamper" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hopper" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,293 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hamper" and "hopper" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Haber vs hamper". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #306,293 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.