Which to use
“Hobbs” is a name and “hoses” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,239
- “Hobbs” frequency rank
- #29,312
- “hoses” frequency rank
- 50551
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hobbs | hoses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A surname originating as a patronymic. | plural of hose |
Letter map: Hobbs vs hoses
Shared letters muted; letters that set Hobbs and hoses apart highlighted. Shared run: 3. Hobbs (CVCCC) and hoses (CVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Grammar separator: Hobbs vs hoses
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: Hobbs is aname and hosesanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50551, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Hobbs is recorded at frequency rank #21,239, classified as aname. hoses is at rank #29,312, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈhəʊzɪz/.
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 50551, this pair ranks #173,273 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Hobbs vs hoses
Shared letters: hos. Private to "Hobbs": b. Private to "hoses": e.
"Hobbs" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "hoses" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Hobbs" for "hoses" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Hobbs" vs "hoses" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "Hobbs" and "hoses".
- Full dictionary entry for "Hobbs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hoses" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #173,273 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hobbs" and "hoses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hoke vs hoses". 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 #173,273 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.