hic vs hoi, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“hic” and “hoi” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#49,392
“hic” frequency rank: #33,273
“hoi” frequency rank: 82665
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	hic	hoi
Definition	An approximation to the sound of a hiccup, used e.g. to indicate drunkenness.	Alternative form of hoy, hey! a call to gain someone's attention.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hic and hoi apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

hic

3 ch

hoi

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

hic and hoi are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82665, 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/. hoi is at rank #33,273, tagged as anintj.

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 82665, this pair ranks #15,301 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of hic vs hoi

Shared letters: hi. Private to "hic": c. Private to "hoi": o.

"hic" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hoi" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

hic#49,392

hoi#33,273

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hic" and "hoi" be used interchangeably?

No. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.

Which is more common, "hic" or "hoi"?

"hoi" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,273 in our English list, against #49,392 for "hic". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hic vs hoi

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
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