Which to use
“heard” is a verb and “heart” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,336
- “heard” frequency rank
- #15,642
- “heart” frequency rank
- 53978
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | heard | heart |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Prétérit de hear. | Cœur, organe vital. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set heard and heart apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: heard is \ˈhɝd\ while heart is [hɑːt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “heard” becomes t in “heart”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53978, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
heard is recorded at frequency rank #38,336, classified as averb, pronounced \ˈhɝd\. heart is at rank #15,642, tagged as anoun, pronounced [hɑːt].
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 53978, this pair ranks #137,140 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of heard vs heart
Shared letters: aehr. Private to "heard": d. Private to "heart": t.
"heard" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "heart" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "heard" and "heart" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "heard" or "heart"?
Remembering heard vs heart
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “heard”; for a noun, it's “heart”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “heard” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable