Which to use
“hey” is an intj and “how” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #787
- “hey” frequency rank
- #67
- “how” frequency rank
- 854
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hey | how |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An exclamation to get attention. | To what degree or extent. |
Where the eye mixes hey and how
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between hey and how
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hey is /heɪ/ while how is /haʊ/. 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 adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 854, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hey is recorded at frequency rank #787, classified as anintj, pronounced /heɪ/. how is at rank #67, tagged as anadv, pronounced /haʊ/.
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 854, this pair ranks #528,641 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hey vs how
Shared letters: h. Private to "hey": ey. Private to "how": ow.
"hey" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "how" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hey" and "how" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hey" or "how"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "hey" and "how" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "hey" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "how" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #528,641 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hey" and "how" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hey vs HRW". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #528,641 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.