Which to use
“Hobson” and “Hudson” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,082
- “Hobson” frequency rank
- #6,794
- “Hudson” frequency rank
- 36876
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hobson | Hudson |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A surname originating as a patronymic. | An English surname originating as a patronymic. |
Where the eye mixes Hobson and Hudson
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Hobson and Hudson
A purely visual mix-up. Hobson (/ˈhɒb.sən/) and Hudson (/ˈhʌd.sən/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36876, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Hobson is recorded at frequency rank #30,082, classified as aname, pronounced /ˈhɒb.sən/. Hudson is at rank #6,794, tagged as aname, pronounced /ˈhʌd.sən/.
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 36876, this pair ranks #299,386 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Hobson vs Hudson
Shared letters: hnos. Private to "Hobson": b. Private to "Hudson": du.
"Hobson" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Hudson" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Hobson" and "Hudson" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "Hobson" or "Hudson" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Hobson" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Hudson" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #299,386 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hobson" and "Hudson" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hobson vs Holton". 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 #299,386 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.