Which to use
“hack” is a verb and “hawk” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,668
- “hack” frequency rank
- #23,682
- “hawk” frequency rank
- 46350
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hack | hawk |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (transitivo direto, intransitivo) retalhar^(5, 6), cortar, ferir | falcão |
Letter map: hack vs hawk
Shared letters muted; letters that set hack and hawk apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.
Grammar separator: hack vs hawk
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: hack is averb and hawkanoun. On the page they differ by a single letter - c in “hack” becomes w in “hawk”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46350, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hack is recorded at frequency rank #22,668, classified as averb. hawk is at rank #23,682, tagged as anoun, pronounced /hɔːk/.
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 46350, this pair ranks #18,969 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hack vs hawk
Shared letters: ahk. Private to "hack": c. Private to "hawk": w.
"hack" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "hawk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hack" and "hawk" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "hack" vs "hawk" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "hack" and "hawk".
- Full dictionary entry for "hack" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hawk" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #18,969 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hack" and "hawk" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hani vs hawk". 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 #18,969 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.