# haye

> English word · Noun · IPA /heɪ/ · frequency rank #44,832

## Definitions
1. A shark (scaleless cartilaginous fish).

## Etymology
From Dutch haai (“shark”) or West Flemish haaie (formerly haeye), from the Old Norse hái, a short form of hákarl (“shark”) (a compound of há- (“marks fish of the shark kind”) + karl (“a man”)). The German Hai, the Swedish haj and the Danish haj are from the same source.

## Easily confused with
- **he** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-he)
- **hey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hey)
- **hee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hee)
- **hue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hue)
- **hwy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hwy)
- **hoe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hoe)
- **hye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hye)
- **hoy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hoy)
- **hse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hse)
- **here** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-here)
- **home** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-home)
- **hope** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hope)
- **huge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-huge)
- **hole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hole)
- **hide** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hide)
- **hire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hire)
- **hype** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hype)
- **hike** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hike)
- **hose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hose)
- **Hyde** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haye-vs-hyde)

## Common misspellings (5)
`ahye`, `haey`, `hayye`, `hhaye`, `hyae`

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