Which to use
“hep” and “hou” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,935
- “hep” frequency rank
- #26,040
- “hou” frequency rank
- 73975
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hep | hou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sert principalement à appeler ou interpeller quelqu’un. | Suppose le cri d’un fantôme. |
Where the eye mixes hep and hou
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. hep (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 hep with hou
A purely visual mix-up. hep (\ɛp\) and hou (^((h aspiré))\u\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73975, 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\. 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 73975, this pair ranks #38,696 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hep vs hou
Shared letters: h. Private to "hep": ep. Private to "hou": ou.
"hep" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hou" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hep" for "hou" ever safe?
Which is more common, "hep" or "hou"?
Useful next steps
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 "hou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #38,696 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hep" and "hou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hae vs hep". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #38,696 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.