Which to use
“hôte” is a noun and “hume” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,098
- “hôte” frequency rank
- #30,206
- “hume” frequency rank
- 36304
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hôte | hume |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Celui qui donne l’hospitalité par humanité, par amitié, par bienveillance. | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de humer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hôte and hume apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hôte is ^((h muet))\ot\ while hume is ^((h aspiré))\ym\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36304, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hôte is recorded at frequency rank #6,098, classified as anoun, pronounced ^((h muet))\ot\. hume is at rank #30,206, tagged as averb, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\ym\.
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 36304, this pair ranks #270,549 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hôte vs hume
Shared letters: eh. Private to "hôte": tô. Private to "hume": mu.
"hôte" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "hume" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- hume ← hhume · hmue · huem · humme · uhme
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hôte" and "hume" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hôte" or "hume"?
Remembering hôte vs hume
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “hôte”; for a verb, it's “hume”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hôte” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable