Which to use
“hold” is an adjective and “hou” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,383
- “hold” frequency rank
- #26,040
- “hou” frequency rank
- 42423
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hold | hou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gracieux. | Suppose le cri d’un fantôme. |
Where the eye mixes hold and hou
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between hold and hou
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hold is \hɔlt\ while hou is ^((h aspiré))\u\. 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 (adjective vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42423, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hold is recorded at frequency rank #16,383, classified as anadj, pronounced \hɔlt\. 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 42423, this pair ranks #225,714 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hold vs hou
Shared letters: ho. Private to "hold": dl. Private to "hou": u.
"hold" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "hou" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- hold ← hhold · hlod · hodl · holdd · holld · ohld
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hold" for "hou" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "hold" or "hou" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "hold" and "hou" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "hold" 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 #225,714 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hold" and "hou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hae vs hou". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #225,714 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.