Which to use
“hem” is an intj and “hon” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,124
- “hem” frequency rank
- #33,010
- “hon” frequency rank
- 60134
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hem | hon |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ela |
Where the eye mixes hem and hon
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: hem vs hon
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hem is /ẽɲ/ 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 (intj vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60134, 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/. 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 60134, this pair ranks #7,823 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hem vs hon
Shared letters: h. Private to "hem": em. Private to "hon": no.
"hem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "hon" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hem" for "hon" ever safe?
Frequency check: "hem" vs "hon" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hem" 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 #7,823 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hem" and "hon" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hon vs hui". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #7,823 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.