Hight vs. High: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on October 3, 2023
"Hight" is an archaic or poetic term meaning named or called; "high" is an adjective describing something elevated in position, quality, or degree.
Key Differences
"Hight" is a term rarely used in modern English and is generally found in archaic literature or poetry. "High," on the other hand, is a commonly used adjective in contemporary language that denotes something elevated, either in position or quality.
From a grammatical standpoint, "hight" functions mainly as a past participle or a transitive verb. "High," however, is an adjective and can be used more flexibly in sentences to describe nouns or pronouns.
"Hight" is virtually nonexistent in everyday language and communication. "High" is quite the opposite, used in various contexts such as describing altitude, emotion, quality, or even risk.
In literature, "hight" may be used for poetic or dramatic effect to indicate that something has been named or called. "High," however, is utilized to describe a wide range of subjects, from mountains and buildings to moods and standards.
While "hight" is generally considered outdated and has largely fallen out of use, "high" is prevalent in idiomatic expressions, scientific terms, and common phrases like "high quality," "high speed," or "high hopes."
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Comparison Chart
Usage
Archaic or poetic
Contemporary
Grammatical Function
Past participle or transitive verb
Adjective
Context
Naming or calling
Elevation, quality, etc.
Prevalence
Rare
Common
Idiomatic Expressions
Almost none
Numerous
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Hight and High Definitions
Hight
Poetic term indicating calling
The tower hight Freedom.
High
Elevated in position
The mountain is high.
Hight
Seldom-used literary term
The land hight Eden.
High
Of great quality
This is high art.
Hight
Archaic term meaning named
He hight John.
High
Elevated in mood
She is in high spirits.
Hight
Transitive verb in old texts
She hight him foolish.
High
Having a relatively great elevation; extending far upward
A high mountain.
A high tower.
Hight
Outdated way of saying called
The sword hight Excalibur.
High
Extending a specified distance upward
A cabinet ten feet high.
Hight
Named or called.
High
Far or farther from a reference point
Was too high in the offensive zone to take a shot.
Hight
(obsolete) hote
High
Being at or near the peak or culminating stage
The high tourist season.
High summer.
Hight
To call, name.
High
Advanced in development or complexity
High forms of animal life.
Higher mathematics.
Hight
To be called or named.
High
Far removed in time; remote
High antiquity.
Hight
To command; to enjoin.
I hight ye take me wi' ye. I ne can no lenger her b'live.
High
Slightly spoiled or tainted; gamy. Used of meat.
Hight
(archaic) Called, named.
High
Having a bad smell; malodorous.
Hight
Obsolete form of height
High
Having a pitch corresponding to a relatively large number of sound-wave cycles per second
The high tones of a flute.
Hight
A variant of Height.
High
Raised in pitch; not soft or hushed
A high voice.
Hight
To be called or named.
The great poet of Italy,That highte Dante.
Bright was her hue, and Geraldine she hight.
Entered then into the church the Reverend Teacher.Father he hight, and he was, in the parish.
Childe Harold was he hight.
High
Situated relatively far from the equator
A high latitude.
Hight
To command; to direct; to impel.
But the sad steel seized not where it was hightUpon the child, but somewhat short did fall.
High
Of great importance
Set a high priority on funding the housing program.
Hight
To commit; to intrust.
Yet charge of them was to a porter hight.
High
Eminent in rank or status
A high official.
Hight
To promise.
He had hold his day, as he had hight.
High
Serious; grave
High crimes and misdemeanors.
High
Constituting a climax; crucial
The chase scene is the high point of the film.
High
Characterized by lofty or stirring events or themes
High adventure.
High drama.
High
Lofty or exalted in quality or character
A person of high morals.
High
Greater than usual or expected, as in quantity, magnitude, cost, or degree
“A high price has to be paid for the happy marriage with the four healthy children” (Doris Lessing).
High
Favorable
He has a high opinion of himself.
High
Of great force or violence
High winds.
High
(Informal) Excited or euphoric
High spirits.
High
(Slang) Intoxicated by alcohol or a drug, such as cocaine or marijuana.
High
Luxurious; extravagant
High living.
High
(Linguistics) Of or relating to vowels produced with part of the tongue close to the palate, as in the vowel of tree.
High
Of, relating to, or being the gear configuration or setting, as in an automotive transmission, that produces the greatest vehicular speed with respect to engine speed.
High
At, in, or to a lofty position, level, or degree
Saw a plane flying high in the sky.
Prices that had gone too high.
High
In an extravagant or luxurious way
Made a fortune and lived high.
High
A lofty place or region.
High
A high level or degree
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high.
High
The high gear configuration of a transmission.
High
A center of high atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
High
(Informal) An excited or euphoric condition
The team was on a high after winning in overtime.
High
(Slang) An intoxicated or euphoric condition induced by alcohol or a drug.
High
Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:
High
Very elevated; extending or being far above a base; tall; lofty.
The balloon rose high in the sky.
The wall was high.
A high mountain
High
Relatively elevated; rising or raised above the average or normal level from which elevation is measured.
High
Above the batter's shoulders.
The pitch (or: the ball) was high
High
Pertaining to (or, especially of a language: spoken in) in an area which is at a greater elevation, for example more mountainous, than other regions.
High
Having a specified elevation or height; tall.
Three feet high
Three Mount Everests high
High
Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
The oldest of the elves' royal family still conversed in High Elvish.
High
Most exalted; foremost.
The high priest, the high officials of the court, the high altar
High
Of great importance and consequence: grave (if negative) or solemn (if positive).
High crimes, the high festival of the sun
High
Consummate; advanced (e.g. in development) to the utmost extent or culmination, or possessing a quality in its supreme degree, at its zenith.
High (i.e. intense) heat; high (i.e. full or quite) noon; high (i.e. rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i.e. complete) pleasure; high (i.e. deep or vivid) colour; high (i.e. extensive, thorough) scholarship; high tide; high [tourism] season; the High Middle Ages
High
Advanced in complexity (and hence potentially abstract and/or difficult to comprehend).
High
(in several set phrases) Very traditionalist and conservative, especially in favoring older ways of doing things; see e.g. high church, High Tory.
High
Elevated in mood; marked by great merriment, excitement, etc.
In high spirits
High
(of a lifestyle) Luxurious; rich.
High living, the high life
High
Lofty, often to the point of arrogant, haughty, boastful, proud.
A high tone
High
(with "on" or "about") Keen, enthused.
High
With tall waves.
High
Remote (to the north or south) from the equator; situated at (or constituting) a latitude which is expressed by a large number.
High latitude, fish species in high arctic and antarctic areas
High
Large, great (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
My bank charges me a high interest rate.
I was running a high temperature and had high cholesterol.
High voltage
High prices
High winds
A high number
High
Having a large or comparatively larger concentration of (a substance, which is often but not always linked by "in" when predicative).
Carrots are high in vitamin A.
Made from a high-copper alloy
High
(acoustics) Acute or shrill in pitch, due to being of greater frequency, i.e. produced by more rapid vibrations (wave oscillations).
The note was too high for her to sing.
High
(phonetics) Made with some part of the tongue positioned high in the mouth, relatively close to the palate.
High
(card games) Greater in value than other cards, denominations, suits, etc.
High
(poker) Having the highest rank in a straight, flush or straight flush.
I have KT742 of the same suit. In other words, a K-high flush.
9-high straight = 98765 unsuited
Royal Flush = AKQJT suited = A-high straight flush
High
(of a card or hand) Winning; able to take a trick, win a round, etc.
North's hand was high. East was in trouble.
High
Strong-scented; slightly tainted/spoiled; beginning to decompose.
Epicures do not cook game before it is high.
The tailor liked his meat high.
High
(informal) intoxicated; under the influence of a mood-altering drug, formerly usually alcohol, but now (from the mid-20th century) usually not alcohol but rather marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc.
High
Near, in its direction of travel, to the (direction of the) wind.
High
Positioned up the field, towards the opposing team's goal.
Our defensive line is too high.
High
In or to an elevated position.
How high above land did you fly?
The desks were piled high with magazines.
High
In or at a great value.
Costs have grown higher this year again.
High
At a pitch of great frequency.
I certainly can't sing that high.
High
A high point or position, literally (as, an elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven).or figuratively (as, a point of success or achievement; a time when things are at their best, greatest, most numerous, maximum, etc).
It was one of the highs of his career.
Inflation reached a ten-year high.
High
The maximum atmospheric temperature recorded at a particular location, especially during one 24-hour period.
Today's high was 32 °C.
High
A period of euphoria, from excitement or from an intake of drugs.
That pill gave me a high for a few hours, before I had a comedown.
High
A drug that gives such a high.
High
A large area of elevated atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
A large high is centred on the Azores.
High
(card games) The highest card dealt or drawn.
High
(obsolete) Thought; intention; determination; purpose.
High
(obsolete) To rise.
The sun higheth.
High
To hie; to hasten.
High
To hie.
Men must high them apace, and make haste.
High
To rise; as, the sun higheth.
High
Elevated above any starting point of measurement, as a line, or surface; having altitude; lifted up; raised or extended in the direction of the zenith; lofty; tall; as, a high mountain, tower, tree; the sun is high.
High
Regarded as raised up or elevated; distinguished; remarkable; conspicuous; superior; - used indefinitely or relatively, and often in figurative senses, which are understood from the connection
High
Elevated in character or quality, whether moral or intellectual; preëminent; honorable; as, high aims, or motives.
High
Possessing a characteristic quality in a supreme or superior degree; as, high (i. e., intense) heat; high (i. e., full or quite) noon; high (i. e., rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i. e., complete) pleasure; high (i. e., deep or vivid) color; high (i. e., extensive, thorough) scholarship, etc.
High time it is this war now ended were.
High sauces and spices are fetched from the Indies.
High
Exalted in social standing or general estimation, or in rank, reputation, office, and the like; dignified; as, she was welcomed in the highest circles.
He was a wight of high renown.
High
Strong-scented; slightly tainted; as, epicures do not cook game before it is high.
High
Of noble birth; illustrious; as, of high family.
High
Acute or sharp; - opposed to grave or low; as, a high note.
High
Of great strength, force, importance, and the like; strong; mighty; powerful; violent; sometimes, triumphant; victorious; majestic, etc.; as, a high wind; high passions.
Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Can heavenly minds such high resentment show?
High
Made with a high position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate, as ē (ēve), Ō (fŌd). See Guide to Pronunciation, 10, 11.
High
Very abstract; difficult to comprehend or surmount; grand; noble.
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Plain living and high thinking are no more.
High
Costly; dear in price; extravagant; as, to hold goods at a high price.
If they must be good at so high a rate, they know they may be safe at a cheaper.
High
Arrogant; lofty; boastful; proud; ostentatious; - used in a bad sense.
An high look and a proud heart . . . is sin.
His forces, after all the high discourses, amounted really but to eighteen hundred foot.
High
In a high manner; in a high place; to a great altitude; to a great degree; largely; in a superior manner; eminently; powerfully.
High
An elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven.
High
People of rank or high station; as, high and low.
High
The highest card dealt or drawn.
The dayspring from on high hath visited us.
High
A lofty level or position or degree;
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high
High
An air mass of higher than normal pressure;
The east coast benefits from a Bermuda high
High
A state of sustained elation;
I'm on a permanent high these days
High
A state of altered consciousness induced by alcohol or narcotics;
They took drugs to get a high on
High
A high place;
They stood on high and observed the coutryside
He doesn't like heights
High
A public secondary school usually including grades 9 through 12;
He goes to the neighborhood highschool
High
A forward gear with a gear ratio giving high vehicle velocity for a given engine speed
High
Greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount;
A high temperature
A high price
The high point of his career
High risks
Has high hopes
The river is high
He has a high opinion of himself
High
(literal meanings) being at or having a relatively great or specific elevation or upward extension (sometimes used in combinations like `knee-high');
A high mountain
High ceilings
High buildings
A high forehead
A high incline
A foot high
High
Standing above others in quality or position;
People in high places
The high priest
Eminent members of the community
High
Used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency
High
Happy and excited and energetic
High
Used of the smell of game beginning to taint
High
Slightly and pleasantly intoxicated from alcohol or a drug (especially marijuana)
High
At a great altitude;
He climbed high on the ladder
High
In or to a high position, amount, or degree;
Prices have gone up far too high
High
In a rich manner;
He lives high
High
Far up toward the source;
He lives high up the river
High
Elevated in degree or intensity
The risk is high.
High
Elevated in rank or status
He holds a high position.
FAQs
Is "hight" commonly used today?
No, "hight" is rare and generally found in archaic or poetic contexts.
What's the grammatical function of "hight"?
It mainly functions as a past participle or transitive verb.
What does "hight" mean?
"Hight" is an archaic term meaning named or called.
What's the grammatical function of "high"?
It is an adjective.
Is "hight" found in literature?
It is mostly found in older literature or poetry.
What does "high" mean?
"High" is an adjective describing something elevated in position, quality, or degree.
Is "high" commonly used today?
Yes, "high" is frequently used in various contexts.
Can "hight" be used in modern writing?
It can be, but it would give the text an archaic or poetic tone.
Can "high" be used in idiomatic expressions?
Yes, it's often used in idioms like "high hopes" or "high and dry."
Is "hight" used in naming places or things?
Historically, yes, but it's very rare now.
Are there synonyms for "hight"?
Modern synonyms might include "named" or "called."
Is "high" used in scientific contexts?
Yes, in terms like "high pressure" or "high frequency."
Is "hight" ever used in legal documents?
It's extremely unlikely given its archaic nature.
Is "high" found in literature?
Yes, across all genres and time periods.
Are there synonyms for "high"?
Yes, like "elevated," "lofty," or "tall."
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
