Which to use
“Hai” is a noun and “hao” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30,196
- “Hai” frequency rank
- #43,972
- “hao” frequency rank
- 74168
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hai | hao |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Requin, squale. | Diminuer; s’épuiser; se consumer. |
Where the eye mixes Hai and hao
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Hai and hao follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Hai with hao
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Hai is \haɪ̯\ while hao is \haɔ˦\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - i in “Hai” becomes o in “hao”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74168, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Hai is recorded at frequency rank #30,196, classified as anoun, pronounced \haɪ̯\. hao is at rank #43,972, tagged as averb, pronounced \haɔ˦\.
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 74168, this pair ranks #38,022 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Hai vs hao
Shared letters: ah. Private to "Hai": i. Private to "hao": o.
"Hai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hao" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Hai" for "hao" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Hai" or "hao"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Hai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hao" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #38,022 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hai" and "hao" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hao vs hash". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #38,022 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.