harkvsHarpsWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#36,592
“hark” frequency rank
#48,267
“Harps” frequency rank
84859
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hark Harps
Definition To listen attentively. A surname.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
hark
5 ch
Harps

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: hark is averb and Harpsaname. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84859, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hark is recorded at frequency rank #36,592, classified as averb, pronounced /hɑː(ɹ)k/. Harps is at rank #48,267, tagged as aname.

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 84859, this pair ranks #11,334 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of hark vs Harps

Shared letters: ahr. Private to "hark": k. Private to "Harps": ps.

"hark" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Harps" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • harkahrk · hakr · harkk · harrk · hhark · hrak
  • Harpsahrps · haprs · harpps · harpss · harrps · harsp · hharps · hraps

Frequency comparison

hark#36,592
Harps#48,267

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hark" and "Harps" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hark" is a verb and "Harps" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hark" or "Harps"?
"hark" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,592 in our English list, against #48,267 for "Harps". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hark vs Harps

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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