Which to use
“hão” is a verb and “hon” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,033
- “hão” frequency rank
- #33,010
- “hon” frequency rank
- 57043
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hão | hon |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | terceira pessoa do plural do presente do indicativo do verbo haver | ela |
Where the eye mixes hão and hon
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. hão (CVV) and hon (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses hão with hon
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hão is /ˈɐ̃w̃/ [ˈɐ̃ʊ̯̃] while hon is [hoːn]. 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 (verb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57043, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hão is recorded at frequency rank #24,033, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈɐ̃w̃/ [ˈɐ̃ʊ̯̃]. hon is at rank #33,010, tagged as apron, pronounced [hoːn].
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 57043, this pair ranks #9,573 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hão vs hon
Shared letters: ho. Private to "hão": ã. Private to "hon": n.
"hão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hon" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hão" and "hon" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "hão" or "hon" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hon" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #9,573 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hão" and "hon" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hon vs hui". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #9,573 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.