hijovshitsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“hijo” and “hits” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#327
“hijo” frequency rank
#21,355
“hits” frequency rank
21682
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hijo hits
Definition Individuo respecto a cualquiera de sus progenitores. Forma del plural de hit.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hijo and hits apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
hijo
4 ch
hits

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hijo ([ˈixo]) and hits ([ˈit̪s]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21682, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hijo is recorded at frequency rank #327, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈixo]. hits is at rank #21,355, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈit̪s].

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 21682, this pair ranks #253,803 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hijo vs hits

Shared letters: hi. Private to "hijo": jo. Private to "hits": st.

"hijo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "hits" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hijohhijo · hijjo · hioj · hjio · ihjo
  • hitshhits · hist · hitss · hitts · ihts

Frequency comparison

hijo#327
hits#21,355

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hijo" and "hits" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈixo] versus [ˈit̪s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hijo" or "hits"?
"hijo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #327 in our Spanish list, against #21,355 for "hits". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering hijo vs hits

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hijo” 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