Which to use
“harbor” is a noun and “harbour” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,622
- “harbor” frequency rank
- #39,828
- “harbour” frequency rank
- 64450
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | harbor | harbour |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rade, havre. | Abriter. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set harbor and harbour apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: harbor is anoun and harbouraverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64450, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
harbor is recorded at frequency rank #24,622, classified as anoun, pronounced \ˈhɑːr.bɜː\. harbour is at rank #39,828, tagged as averb.
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 64450, this pair ranks #77,047 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of harbor vs harbour
Shared letters: abhor. Private to "harbor": -. Private to "harbour": u.
"harbor" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "harbour" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "harbor" and "harbour" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "harbor" or "harbour"?
Remembering harbor vs harbour
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “harbor”; for a verb, it's “harbour”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “harbor” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable