Which to use
“hem” and “hep” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,982
- “hem” frequency rank
- #47,935
- “hep” frequency rank
- 83917
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hem | hep |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dont on se sert pour attirer l’attention, pour appeler. | Sert principalement à appeler ou interpeller quelqu’un. |
Where the eye mixes hem and hep
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. hem and hep follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between hem and hep
A purely visual mix-up. hem (^((h aspiré))\ɛm\) and hep (\ɛp\) 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 - m in “hem” becomes p in “hep”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83917, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hem is recorded at frequency rank #35,982, classified as anintj, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\ɛm\. hep is at rank #47,935, tagged as anintj, pronounced \ɛp\.
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 83917, this pair ranks #13,930 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hem vs hep
Shared letters: eh. Private to "hem": m. Private to "hep": p.
"hem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hep" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hem" and "hep" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "hem" vs "hep" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hep" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #13,930 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hem" and "hep" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hae vs hep". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #13,930 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.