Which to use
“hobbit” is a noun and “Hobbs” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,383
- “hobbit” frequency rank
- #21,239
- “Hobbs” frequency rank
- 38622
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hobbit | Hobbs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A member of a fictional race of small humanoids with shaggy hair and hairy feet. | A surname originating as a patronymic. |
Letter map: hobbit vs Hobbs
Shared letters muted; letters that set hobbit and Hobbs apart highlighted. Shared run: 4.
Grammar separator: hobbit vs Hobbs
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: hobbit is anoun and Hobbsaname. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38622, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hobbit is recorded at frequency rank #17,383, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈhɒbɪt/. Hobbs is at rank #21,239, tagged as aname.
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 38622, this pair ranks #284,287 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hobbit vs Hobbs
Shared letters: bho. Private to "hobbit": it. Private to "Hobbs": s.
"hobbit" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Hobbs" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hobbit" and "Hobbs" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "hobbit" or "Hobbs"?
What to do next
Pair "hobbit" vs "Hobbs" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "hobbit" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Hobbs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #284,287 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hobbit" and "Hobbs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hobbs vs hocus". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #284,287 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.