hoi

intj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hoi" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hoi” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #33,273) as an interjection. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#33,273
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Alternative form of hoy, hey! a call to gain someone's attention.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hoi · hoi · English

hoi · rank #33,273 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,273
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hibernian

Nearest frequency peer: Hibernian (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “hoi”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “hoi” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hoi vs HR
0% similar
hoi vs HP
0% similar
hoi vs HQ
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hoi
PropertyValue
Headwordhoi
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
Letters3
Frequency rank#33,273
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hoi” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hoilands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Hibernian” (#33,272), “helms” (#33,271), “hulls” (#33,275). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for hoi is neighbouring look-alikes ("HR", "HP", …), not just typos; it is aninterjection. Frequency #33,273 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Gloss: "Alternative form of hoy, hey! a call to gain someone's attention.".

Zero misspellings are on record for hoi in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "HR", "HP", "HQ", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Dutch hoi. The correct English form is hoi, spelled H-O-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative form of hoy, hey! a call to gain someone's attention.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how hoi appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. A hollow groan, unlike anything she had ever heard in her life, came from the front, followed by a shout of "Hoi, there!"

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch hoi.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hoi"?
"hoi" is spelled H-O-I.
What does "hoi" mean?
As an interjection, "hoi" means: Alternative form of hoy, hey! a call to gain someone's attention.
What words are commonly confused with "hoi"?
"hoi" is commonly confused with "HR", "HP", "HQ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "hoi"?
Borrowed from Dutch hoi. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hoi", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Jem#33,296fem#33,233LST#33,313ECM#33,219

What to do next

You've looked up "hoi". Here's where to go from here.

  • "hoi" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "HR". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #33,273 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "H" letter cohort. H–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list