ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediatenounnoun
HangervsHangar
'Hanger' is the hook or frame you hang clothes on; 'hangar' is the large building where aircraft are stored.
Side-by-side comparison
Hanger
noun"Hanger" is the hook or frame used to hang clothes in a wardrobe. A small but important spelling difference.
She hung her coat on the hanger behind the door before sitting down for the meeting.
The dry-cleaner returned all the suits on wire hangers wrapped in plastic covers.
We need at least fifty more hangers in the coat check area before the event starts.
Hangar
noun"Hangar" is the large building where aircraft are stored and maintained. It is pronounced the same as "hanger" but refers to aviation facilities.
The private jet was parked in a climate-controlled hangar at the far end of the airport.
The military hangar housed twelve fighter jets and a full maintenance crew.
The old hangar was converted into an arts centre and event space after the airfield closed.
Common mistake
- •"The aircraft is in the hanger" is wrong: the building for aircraft is "hangar" (ending in AR).
- •"Hanger" with ER is the clothes frame.
Trick to remember it
- •"HangER" ends in -ER like other everyday objects: toaster, blender, printer.
- •"HangAR" ends in -AR, hinting at AIRcraft: AR for air.
Quick rule
- •Is it the frame for hanging clothes? "HangER".
- •Is it the building for aircraft? "HangAR".
Did you know?
The word "hangar" entered English from French in the late 19th century as aviation was developing. Its exact French origin is uncertain but may derive from Flemish "ham-gaard" (enclosed stable yard), early aircraft shelters were adapted from existing agricultural structures. The world's largest hangar is the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington, at 399,480 square metres, large enough for 27 American football fields under one roof. A curious detail: the clothes hanger was standardized in 1903, the same year the Wright Brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk. Both the hanger and the hangar entered common use during the same historical moment.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The plane was kept in a large _____ overnight.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She hung her dress on a wooden _____ to keep it from creasing.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
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AffectvsEffect
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AislevsIsle
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Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy