Which to use
“hard” is an adjective and “hold” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #273
- “hard” frequency rank
- #655
- “hold” frequency rank
- 928
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hard | hold |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Solid and firm. | To grasp or grip. |
Where the eye mixes hard and hold
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hard is /hɑːd/ while hold is /həʊld/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 928, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hard is recorded at frequency rank #273, classified as anadj, pronounced /hɑːd/. hold is at rank #655, tagged as averb, pronounced /həʊld/.
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 928, this pair ranks #528,487 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hard vs hold
Shared letters: dh. Private to "hard": ar. Private to "hold": lo.
"hard" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "hold" · 4 letters · shape CVCC