hacvshaoConfusable pair

Quick tell: hac is a noun, hao is an intj, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hac” is a noun and “hao” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#38,732
“hac” frequency rank
#40,863
“hao” frequency rank
79595
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hac hao
Definition Hache. Se usaba para llamar a uno que estuviese distante.

Where the eye mixes hac and hao

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. hac (CVC) and hao (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

3 ch
hac
3 ch
hao

Why the eye confuses hac with hao

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hac is [ˈak] while hao is [ˈao]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - c in “hac” becomes o in “hao”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79595, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hac is recorded at frequency rank #38,732, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈak]. hao is at rank #40,863, tagged as anintj, pronounced [ˈao].

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 79595, this pair ranks #12,769 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of hac vs hao

Shared letters: ah. Private to "hac": c. Private to "hao": o.

"hac" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "hao" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "hac" and "hao" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hac" is a noun and "hao" an intj, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hac" or "hao"?
"hac" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,732 in our Spanish list, against #40,863 for "hao". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "hac" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "hao" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #12,769 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "hac" and "hao" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hahn vs hao". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #12,769 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list