Which to use
“han” is an onomatopoeia and “hao” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,553
- “han” frequency rank
- #43,972
- “hao” frequency rank
- 52525
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | han | hao |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Exclamation exprimant le cri sourd et guttural d’un homme fournissant un effort. | Diminuer; s’épuiser; se consumer. |
Where the eye mixes han and hao
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between han and hao
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: han is ^((h aspiré))\ɑ̃\ while hao is \haɔ˦\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “han” becomes o in “hao”, and the parts of speech differ too (onomatopoeia vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52525, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
han is recorded at frequency rank #8,553, classified as anonomatopoeia, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\ɑ̃\. 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 52525, this pair ranks #147,127 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of han vs hao
Shared letters: ah. Private to "han": n. Private to "hao": o.
"han" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hao" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "han" and "hao" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "han" vs "hao" - which ranks higher?
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 "han" 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 #147,127 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "han" and "hao" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hao vs hash". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #147,127 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.