# hoe vs how

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### hoe
*noun · IPA /həʊ/ · frequency rank #20,954*
Any of various tools for scraping, scratching, digging, or stirring soil or other materials.

### how
*adverb · IPA /haʊ/ · frequency rank #67*
To what degree or extent.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoe-vs-how