Which to use
“holà” is an intj and “how” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,841
- “holà” frequency rank
- #10,887
- “how” frequency rank
- 49728
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | holà | how |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cri que les charretiers poussaient pour faire arrêter leurs chevaux. | Comment, de quelle manière. |
Where the eye mixes holà and how
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. holà runs 4 letters (CVCV) against how's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: holà vs how
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: holà is ^((h aspiré))\ɔ.la\ while how is \ˈhaʊ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49728, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
holà is recorded at frequency rank #38,841, classified as anintj, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\ɔ.la\. how is at rank #10,887, tagged as anadv, pronounced \ˈhaʊ\.
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 49728, this pair ranks #168,290 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of holà vs how
Shared letters: ho. Private to "holà": là. Private to "how": w.
"holà" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "how" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "holà" and "how" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "holà" or "how" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "holà" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "how" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #168,290 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "holà" and "how" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "holà vs Houda". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #168,290 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.