Which to use
“hao” and “hat” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,972
- “hao” frequency rank
- #25,348
- “hat” frequency rank
- 69320
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hao | hat |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Diminuer; s’épuiser; se consumer. | Troisième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de haben. |
Where the eye mixes hao and hat
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. hao (CVV) and hat (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between hao and hat
A purely visual mix-up. hao (\haɔ˦\) and hat (\hat\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - o in “hao” becomes t in “hat”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69320, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hao is recorded at frequency rank #43,972, classified as averb, pronounced \haɔ˦\. hat is at rank #25,348, tagged as averb, pronounced \hat\.
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 69320, this pair ranks #55,597 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hao vs hat
Shared letters: ah. Private to "hao": o. Private to "hat": t.
"hao" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hat" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hao" and "hat" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "hao" vs "hat" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hao" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hat" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #55,597 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hao" and "hat" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hao vs hash". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #55,597 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.