hilarvsholaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hilar is a verb, hola is an intj, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hilar” is a verb and “hola” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,477
“hilar” frequency rank
#433
“hola” frequency rank
42910
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hilar hola
Definition Convertir en hilos o hebras ciertos materiales, como la lana o el algodón. Expresión de saludo utilizada entre dos o más personas de trato familiar, sin importar el momento del día ni las circunstancias.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
hilar
4 ch
hola

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hilar is [iˈlaɾ] while hola is [ˈola]. 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 (verb vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42910, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hilar is recorded at frequency rank #42,477, classified as averb, pronounced [iˈlaɾ]. hola is at rank #433, tagged as anintj, pronounced [ˈola].

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 42910, this pair ranks #145,605 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hilar vs hola

Shared letters: ahl. Private to "hilar": ir. Private to "hola": o.

"hilar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "hola" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hilarhhilar · hialr · hilarr · hillar · hilra · hliar · ihlar
  • holahhola · hloa · hoal · holla · ohla

Frequency comparison

hilar#42,477
hola#433

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hilar" and "hola" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hilar" is a verb and "hola" an intj, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hilar" or "hola"?
"hola" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #433 in our Spanish list, against #42,477 for "hilar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering hilar vs hola

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “hilar”; for an intj, it's “hola”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hilar” 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