Which to use
“hedged” is a verb and “hedges” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,386
- “hedged” frequency rank
- #20,376
- “hedges” frequency rank
- 69762
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hedged | hedges |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of hedge | plural of hedge |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hedged and hedges 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: hedged is /hɛd͡ʒd/ while hedges is /ˈhɛd͡ʒɪz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “hedged” becomes s in “hedges”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69762, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hedged is recorded at frequency rank #49,386, classified as averb, pronounced /hɛd͡ʒd/. hedges is at rank #20,376, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈhɛd͡ʒɪz/.
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 69762, this pair ranks #53,237 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hedged vs hedges
Shared letters: degh. Private to "hedged": -. Private to "hedges": s.
"hedged" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hedges" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hedged" and "hedges" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hedged" or "hedges"?
Remembering hedged vs hedges
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “hedged”; for a noun, it's “hedges”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hedged” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable