Which to use
“hic” is an intj and “hick” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,392
- “hic” frequency rank
- #40,736
- “hick” frequency rank
- 90128
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hic | hick |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An approximation to the sound of a hiccup, used e.g. to indicate drunkenness. | An awkward, naive, clumsy and/or rude country person. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hic and hick apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: hic and hick carry the same recorded pronunciation, /hɪk/. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anintj, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “hic” sits inside “hick”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 90128, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hic is recorded at frequency rank #49,392, classified as anintj, pronounced /hɪk/. hick is at rank #40,736, tagged as anoun, pronounced /hɪk/.
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 90128, this pair ranks #4,474 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hic vs hick
Shared letters: chi. Private to "hic": -. Private to "hick": k.
"hic" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hick" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- hick ← hcik · hhick · hicck · hickk · hikc · ihck
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hic" and "hick" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hic" or "hick"?
Remembering hic vs hick
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an intj, it's “hic”; for a noun, it's “hick”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hic” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable