ESEN
Which one to use?Advancednoun / verbnoun
HoardvsHorde
'Hoard' is a secret store of valuable things; 'horde' is a large, often unruly crowd or group.
Side-by-side comparison
Hoard
noun / verb"Hoard" (with 'a') is a secret stock or accumulation of things stored away. It also works as a verb: to stockpile things compulsively.
Archaeologists discovered a hoard of Roman coins buried under the field.
During the pandemic, some people hoarded hand sanitiser and toilet paper.
She kept a secret hoard of chocolate in her desk drawer.
Horde
noun"Horde" (without 'a') is a large, noisy crowd, especially of people or creatures moving together. It is a word for masses of beings, not for objects.
A horde of journalists surrounded the building after the announcement.
Hordes of tourists flooded the city centre during the summer festival.
The sales event attracted a horde of bargain hunters from across the region.
Common mistake
"She discovered a horde of treasure" when meaning a secret stash is wrong: the hidden collection of valuables is "hoard". "Horde" is a large crowd or group.
Trick to remember it
- •"Hoard" contains OAR like "board" and "store": things you collect and keep.
- •"Horde" contains ORD like "disorder": large disordered groups.
Quick rule
- •Is it the secret stash of valuables? "Hoard".
- •Is it the large crowd or group? "Horde".
Did you know?
"Horde" comes from Turkish "ordu" (military camp or army), the Golden Horde of the Mongol Empire spread terror through 13th-century Europe and gave the word its fearsome connotations. Today it describes any large crowd. "Hoard" has Germanic roots, from Old English "hord" (hidden treasure). "Hoarding" (a large advertising billboard) shares the same root: original hoardings were temporary fences around construction sites used to store materials. Dragons in fantasy literature accumulate "hoards" of gold, an image drawn directly from medieval English epic poetry, where heroes proved their worth by overcoming the guardian of a treasure hoard.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She had a huge _____ of chocolate hidden in her bedroom drawer.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
A _____ of tourists flooded the small town during the festival.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
AcceptvsExcept
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
AdvicevsAdvise
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
AffectvsEffect
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
AislevsIsle
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy