hmmmvshomWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hmmm is a onomatopoeia, hom is an intj, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hmmm” is an onomatopoeia and “hom” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,769
“hmmm” frequency rank
#33,723
“hom” frequency rank
52492
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hmmm hom
Definition Onomatopée qui marque la gêne ou la satisfaction, selon le contexte et l’intonation. Qui exprime le doute, la défiance.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hmmm and hom apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
hmmm
3 ch
hom

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: hmmm is anonomatopoeia and homanintj. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52492, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hmmm is recorded at frequency rank #18,769, classified as anonomatopoeia. hom is at rank #33,723, tagged as anintj, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\ɔm\.

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 52492, this pair ranks #147,346 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hmmm vs hom

Shared letters: hm. Private to "hmmm": -. Private to "hom": o.

"hmmm" · 4 letters · shape CCCC  ·  "hom" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hmmmhhmmm · mhmm

Frequency comparison

hmmm#18,769
hom#33,723

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hmmm" and "hom" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hmmm" is an onomatopoeia and "hom" an intj, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hmmm" or "hom"?
"hmmm" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,769 in our French list, against #33,723 for "hom". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hmmm vs hom

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an onomatopoeia, it's “hmmm”; for an intj, it's “hom”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hmmm” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list