haovshiConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#40,863
“hao” frequency rank
#10,865
“hi” frequency rank
51728
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hao hi
Definition Se usaba para llamar a uno que estuviese distante. Variante de hijo

Where the eye mixes hao and hi

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
hao
2 ch
hi

Why the eye confuses hao with hi

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hao is [ˈao] while hi is [ˈi]. 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 51728, 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]. hi is at rank #10,865, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈi].

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 51728, this pair ranks #96,371 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hao vs hi

Shared letters: h. Private to "hao": ao. Private to "hi": i.

"hao" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "hi" · 2 letters · shape CV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "hao" for "hi" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hao" is an intj and "hi" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hao" or "hi"?
"hi" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,865 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.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "hao" and "hi" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "hao" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "hi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #96,371 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "hao" and "hi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hahn vs hao". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #96,371 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