Which to use
“Hai” is a noun and “hem” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,805
- “Hai” frequency rank
- #27,124
- “hem” frequency rank
- 58929
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hai | hem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tubarão | expressa incompreensão, não entendimento, simultaneamente comunicando àquele ao qual se dirige, que elucide o sentido, o nexo, que dê clareza ou que melhor se fale ou expresse o que se acabou de comunicar |
Where the eye mixes Hai and hem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. Hai (CVV) and hem (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Hai and hem
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Hai is /haɪ̯/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while hem is /ẽɲ/. 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 intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58929, 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 ?). hem is at rank #27,124, tagged as anintj, pronounced /ẽɲ/.
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 58929, this pair ranks #8,473 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Hai vs hem
Shared letters: h. Private to "Hai": ai. Private to "hem": em.
"Hai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hem" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Hai" and "hem" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Hai" vs "hem" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Hai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #8,473 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hai" and "hem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hai vs hui". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #8,473 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.