Which to use
“hep” is an intj and “hip” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,935
- “hep” frequency rank
- #8,554
- “hip” frequency rank
- 56489
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hep | hip |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sert principalement à appeler ou interpeller quelqu’un. | À la mode, branché. |
Where the eye mixes hep and hip
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between hep and hip
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hep is \ɛp\ while hip is ^((h aspiré))\ip\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “hep” becomes i in “hip”, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56489, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hep is recorded at frequency rank #47,935, classified as anintj, pronounced \ɛp\. hip is at rank #8,554, tagged as anadj, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\ip\.
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 56489, this pair ranks #120,814 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hep vs hip
Shared letters: hp. Private to "hep": e. Private to "hip": i.
"hep" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hip" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hep" for "hip" ever safe?
Frequency check: "hep" vs "hip" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hep" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hip" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #120,814 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hep" and "hip" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hae vs hep". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #120,814 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.