haovshitWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hao is a verb, hit is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hao” is a verb and “hit” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#43,972
“hao” frequency rank
#14,695
“hit” frequency rank
58667
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hao hit
Definition Diminuer; s’épuiser; se consumer. Tube.

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
hao
3 ch
hit

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hao is \haɔ˦\ while hit is ^((h aspiré))\it\. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58667, 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˦\. hit is at rank #14,695, tagged as anoun, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\it\.

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 58667, this pair ranks #107,662 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of hao vs hit

Shared letters: h. Private to "hao": ao. Private to "hit": it.

"hao" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "hit" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

hao#43,972
hit#14,695

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hao" and "hit" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hao" is a verb and "hit" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hao" or "hit"?
"hit" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,695 in our French list, against #43,972 for "hao". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hao vs hit

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “hao”; for a noun, it's “hit”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hao” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list