hemvshomemWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hem is a intj, homem is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hem” is an intj and “homem” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,124
“hem” frequency rank
#247
“homem” frequency rank
27371
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hem homem
Definition 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 pessoa do sexo ou gênero masculino, geralmente, mas não exclusivamente, adulta

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hem and homem apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
hem
5 ch
homem

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hem is /ẽɲ/ while homem is /ˈɔm/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27371, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hem is recorded at frequency rank #27,124, classified as anintj, pronounced /ẽɲ/. homem is at rank #247, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɔm/.

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 27371, this pair ranks #41,598 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hem vs homem

Shared letters: ehm. Private to "hem": -. Private to "homem": o.

"hem" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "homem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • homemhhomem · hmoem · hoemm · homemm · homme · hommem · ohmem

Frequency comparison

hem#27,124
homem#247

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hem" and "homem" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hem" is an intj and "homem" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hem" or "homem"?
"homem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #247 in our Portuguese list, against #27,124 for "hem". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering hem vs homem

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an intj, it's “hem”; for a noun, it's “homem”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hem” 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