# he

> English word · Pronoun · IPA /ˈhiː/ · frequency rank #22

## Definitions
1. A person who identifies as male, or animal already known or implied.
2. They; he or she (a person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant).
3. It; an animal whose gender is unknown.
4. A genderless object regarded as masculine, such as certain stars or planets (e.g. Sun, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter) or certain ships.

## Etymology
From Middle English he, from Old English hē, from Proto-West Germanic *hiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hiz (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱís (“this”).
Cognate with Scots he (“he”), North Frisian he, hi (“he”), Saterland Frisian hie (“he”), West Frisian hy (“he”), Dutch hij, ie (“he”), German Low German he (“he”), Middle High German her (“he”) Central Franconian hä (“he”), Gothic *𐌷𐌹𐍃 (*his, “this”).

## Easily confused with
- **hi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hi)
- **ho** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-ho)
- **HR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hr)
- **HP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hp)
- **hm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hm)
- **HQ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hq)
- **Hu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hu)
- **HK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hk)
- **HG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hg)
- **HH** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hh)
- **hv** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hv)
- **hn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hn)
- **his** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-his)
- **her** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-her)
- **how** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-how)
- **him** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-him)
- **hit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hit)
- **hot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hot)
- **hey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hey)
- **hip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/he-vs-hip)

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