Which to use
“head” is an adjective and “hem” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,735
- “head” frequency rank
- #27,124
- “hem” frequency rank
- 37859
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | head | hem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | central (principal) | 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 spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set head and hem apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
head and hem 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 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37859, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
head is recorded at frequency rank #10,735, classified as anadj. 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 37859, this pair ranks #28,698 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "head" and "hem" be used interchangeably?
Remembering head vs hem
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “head”; for an intj, it's “hem”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “head” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable