Which to use
“Hodgson” and “Hudson” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,823
- “Hodgson” frequency rank
- #6,794
- “Hudson” frequency rank
- 28617
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hodgson | Hudson |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A surname transferred from the given name. | An English surname originating as a patronymic. |
Where the eye mixes Hodgson and Hudson
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Hodgson runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against Hudson's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Hodgson with Hudson
A purely visual mix-up. Hodgson (/ˈhɒd͡ʒ.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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28617, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Hodgson is recorded at frequency rank #21,823, classified as aname, pronounced /ˈhɒd͡ʒ.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 28617, this pair ranks #369,659 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Hodgson vs Hudson
Shared letters: dhnos. Private to "Hodgson": g. Private to "Hudson": u.
"Hodgson" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "Hudson" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Hodgson" for "Hudson" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "Hodgson" or "Hudson" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Hodgson" 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 #369,659 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hodgson" and "Hudson" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hodgkin vs Hodgson". 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 #369,659 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.