hingevsHodgeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hinge is a noun, Hodge is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hinge” is a noun and “Hodge” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,106
“hinge” frequency rank
#20,383
“Hodge” frequency rank
39489
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hinge Hodge
Definition A jointed or flexible device that allows the pivoting of a door etc. A surname originating as a patronymic.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hinge and Hodge apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
hinge
5 ch
Hodge

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

hinge and Hodge form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39489, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hinge is recorded at frequency rank #19,106, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈhɪnd͡ʒ/. Hodge is at rank #20,383, tagged as aname, pronounced /hɒd͡ʒ/.

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 39489, this pair ranks #276,216 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

hinge#19,106
Hodge#20,383

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hinge" and "Hodge" be used interchangeably?
No, "hinge" and "Hodge" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering hinge vs Hodge

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “hinge”; for a name, it's “Hodge”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hinge” 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