Common Mistakes: Horde Vs. Hoard

The words ‘horde’ and ‘hoard’ provide further examples of words in the English language which sound identical when spoken but have different spellings and meanings. One can be used as a verb whilst the other is a noun which is used in very specific circumstances. Make sure that you use the correct word in your writing by brushing up on their meanings and usage.

Horde

The word ‘horde’, in its proper sense, is a noun used to describe a group of nomadic warriors. It is particularly used in the context of tribes from the Asian continent.

It is much more commonly used, usually in a slightly derogatory way, to describe large numbers or crowds of people:

‘A horde of schoolchildren piled onto the bus’ or

‘Our progress along the street was halted by a horde of football fans’.

It is also used to describe a large pack or swarm of animals, as in ‘a horde of wasps invaded the picnic area’. It is not, however, to be confused with the word ‘herd’, which is the term used to describe a group of hoofed mammals.

Hoard

The word ‘hoard’ is a noun meaning a ‘stash’ or ‘supply’ which is kept secretly in preparation for future use. It would be used in a sentence like this:

‘He kept his hoard of tinned goods in the cellar’.

It can also be used as a verb, ‘to hoard’, meaning to secretly accumulate a cache over time.

‘Hoarding’ is now also defined as a psychological condition and the term can be found in medical dictionaries.

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