haovshatoWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#40,863
“hao” frequency rank
#31,377
“hato” frequency rank
72240
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hao hato
Definition Se usaba para llamar a uno que estuviese distante. Ropa y pequeño ajuar para el uso preciso y ordinario.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hao and hato apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
hao
4 ch
hato

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hao is [ˈao] while hato is [ˈat̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72240, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hao is recorded at frequency rank #40,863, classified as anintj, pronounced [ˈao]. hato is at rank #31,377, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈat̪o].

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 72240, this pair ranks #25,796 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of hao vs hato

Shared letters: aho. Private to "hao": -. Private to "hato": t.

"hao" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "hato" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hatoahto · haot · hatto · hhato · htao

Frequency comparison

hao#40,863
hato#31,377

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hao" and "hato" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hao" is an intj and "hato" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hao" or "hato"?
"hato" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,377 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.

Remembering hao vs hato

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an intj, it's “hao”; for a noun, it's “hato”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hao” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list