HaivshamWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Hai” and “ham” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#31,805
“Hai” frequency rank
#19,746
“ham” frequency rank
51551
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hai ham
Definition tubarão pernil

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
Hai
3 ch
ham

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Hai and ham form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - i in “Hai” becomes m in “ham” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51551, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hai is recorded at frequency rank #31,805, classified as anoun, pronounced /haɪ̯/ ouvir^(fonte ?). ham is at rank #19,746, tagged as anoun, pronounced /hæm/.

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 51551, this pair ranks #13,510 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

Hai#31,805
ham#19,746

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hai" and "ham" be used interchangeably?
No, "Hai" and "ham" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering Hai vs ham

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Hai” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list