Which to use
“hem” and “hey” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,982
- “hem” frequency rank
- #3,461
- “hey” frequency rank
- 39443
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hem | hey |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dont on se sert pour attirer l’attention, pour appeler. | Hé. |
Where the eye mixes hem and hey
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between hem and hey
A purely visual mix-up. hem (^((h aspiré))\ɛm\) and hey (\heɪ\) 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 y in “hey”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39443, 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\. hey is at rank #3,461, tagged as anintj, pronounced \heɪ\.
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 39443, this pair ranks #247,938 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hem vs hey
Shared letters: eh. Private to "hem": m. Private to "hey": y.
"hem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hey" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hem" for "hey" ever safe?
Frequency check: "hem" vs "hey" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hey" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #247,938 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hem" and "hey" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hatem vs hem". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #247,938 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.