Hoard vs. Horde

A hoard and a horde

Would a dragon sleep on it? Has it been saved up painstakingly over the years? Then the word you want is hoard, meaning “stash, stockpile, or cache.”

• I keep a hoard of no-cook meals in the basement for the inevitable day when the home appliances rise up against their masters.

Horde is best known for being your standard barbarian’s preferred grouping, as in “the barbarian horde.” It suggests an unruly mob or a large, savage pack of animals.

• Screaming and gibbering, the horde of tween girls broke down the doors of the boy band’s concert venue and tore the security guards to shreds.