Which to use
“hen” is a noun and “hou” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,208
- “hen” frequency rank
- #26,040
- “hou” frequency rank
- 72248
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hen | hou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Poule. | Suppose le cri d’un fantôme. |
Where the eye mixes hen and hou
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. hen (CVC) and hou (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses hen with hou
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hen is \ˈhɛn\ while hou is ^((h aspiré))\u\. 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 (noun vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72248, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hen is recorded at frequency rank #46,208, classified as anoun, pronounced \ˈhɛn\. hou is at rank #26,040, tagged as anintj, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\u\.
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 72248, this pair ranks #44,670 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hen vs hou
Shared letters: h. Private to "hen": en. Private to "hou": ou.
"hen" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hou" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hen" and "hou" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "hen" or "hou"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #44,670 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hen" and "hou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hae vs hen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #44,670 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.