hicvshseWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hic is a intj, hse is a pronoun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hic” is an intj and “hse” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#49,392
“hic” frequency rank
#36,606
“hse” frequency rank
85998
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hic hse
Definition An approximation to the sound of a hiccup, used e.g. to indicate drunkenness. A gender-neutral pronoun.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hic and hse apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
hic
3 ch
hse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: hic is anintj and hseapronoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85998, 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/. hse is at rank #36,606, tagged as apron.

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 85998, this pair ranks #9,548 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of hic vs hse

Shared letters: h. Private to "hic": ci. Private to "hse": es.

"hic" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "hse" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequency comparison

hic#49,392
hse#36,606

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hic" and "hse" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hic" is an intj and "hse" a pronoun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hic" or "hse"?
"hse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,606 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 hse

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an intj, it's “hic”; for a pronoun, it's “hse”.
  • 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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list