hedgesvsHodgeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hedges is a noun, Hodge is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hedges” is a noun and “Hodge” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,376
“hedges” frequency rank
#20,383
“Hodge” frequency rank
40759
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hedges Hodge
Definition plural of hedge A surname originating as a patronymic.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hedges and Hodge apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
hedges
5 ch
Hodge

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hedges is /ˈhɛd͡ʒɪz/ while Hodge is /hɒd͡ʒ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40759, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hedges is recorded at frequency rank #20,376, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈhɛd͡ʒɪz/. Hodge is at rank #20,383, tagged as aname, pronounced /hɒd͡ʒ/.

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 40759, this pair ranks #264,636 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hedges vs Hodge

Shared letters: degh. Private to "hedges": s. Private to "Hodge": o.

"hedges" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Hodge" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hedgesehdges · hdeges · heddges · hedegs · hedgess · hedgges · hedgse · hegdes
  • Hodgehdoge · hhodge · hoddge · hodeg · hodgge · hogde · ohdge

Frequency comparison

hedges#20,376
Hodge#20,383

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hedges" and "Hodge" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hedges" is a noun and "Hodge" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hedges" or "Hodge"?
"hedges" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,376 in our English list, against #20,383 for "Hodge". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hedges vs Hodge

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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