Which to use
“hic” is an intj and “hui” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,392
- “hic” frequency rank
- #22,115
- “hui” frequency rank
- 71507
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hic | hui |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An approximation to the sound of a hiccup, used e.g. to indicate drunkenness. | A Māori social gathering or assembly. |
Where the eye mixes hic and hui
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. hic (CVC) and hui (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between hic and hui
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hic is /hɪk/ while hui is /ˈhʉː.iː/. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71507, 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/. hui is at rank #22,115, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈhʉː.iː/.
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 71507, this pair ranks #46,430 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hic vs hui
Shared letters: hi. Private to "hic": c. Private to "hui": u.
"hic" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hui" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hic" and "hui" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hic" or "hui"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hic" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hui" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #46,430 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hic" and "hui" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hic vs HIIT". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #46,430 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.