Which to use
“Hai” and “hen” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,196
- “Hai” frequency rank
- #46,208
- “hen” frequency rank
- 76404
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hai | hen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Requin, squale. | Poule. |
Where the eye mixes Hai and hen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. Hai (CVV) and hen (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Hai vs hen
A purely visual mix-up. Hai (\haɪ̯\) and hen (\ˈhɛn\) 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 76404, 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\. hen is at rank #46,208, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈhɛn\.
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 76404, this pair ranks #31,248 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Hai vs hen
Shared letters: h. Private to "Hai": ai. Private to "hen": en.
"Hai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hen" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Hai" and "hen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "Hai" or "hen" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Hai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #31,248 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hai" and "hen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hae vs hen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #31,248 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.