habvshepWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#9,327
“hab” frequency rank
#47,935
“hep” frequency rank
57262
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hab hep
Definition Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif présent de haben. Sert principalement à appeler ou interpeller quelqu’un.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hab and hep apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
hab
3 ch
hep

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hab is \haːp\ while hep is \ɛp\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57262, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hab is recorded at frequency rank #9,327, classified as averb, pronounced \haːp\. hep is at rank #47,935, tagged as anintj, pronounced \ɛp\.

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 57262, this pair ranks #116,096 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hab vs hep

Shared letters: h. Private to "hab": ab. Private to "hep": ep.

"hab" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "hep" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

hab#9,327
hep#47,935

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hab" and "hep" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hab" is a verb and "hep" an intj, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hab" or "hep"?
"hab" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,327 in our French list, against #47,935 for "hep". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hab vs hep

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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