Which to use
“hey” is an intj and “hit” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #787
- “hey” frequency rank
- #421
- “hit” frequency rank
- 1208
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hey | hit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An exclamation to get attention. | To strike. |
Where the eye mixes hey and hit
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses hey with hit
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hey is /heɪ/ while hit is /hɪt/. 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 (intj vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1208, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hey is recorded at frequency rank #787, classified as anintj, pronounced /heɪ/. hit is at rank #421, tagged as averb, pronounced /hɪt/.
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 1208, this pair ranks #527,885 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hey vs hit
Shared letters: h. Private to "hey": ey. Private to "hit": it.
"hey" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hit" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hey" and "hit" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "hey" or "hit" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hey" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hit" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #527,885 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hey" and "hit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "HIIT vs hit". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #527,885 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.