Common beechJuraj Ahel, CC BY 4.0
Common beech
HazelAaron Liston, CC BY 4.0
Hazel
Lookalikes

Common beech or hazel?

Both have rounded, pointed leaves, in the same woods and hedges.

The quickest check

The quickest check is the tip of a leaf. Common beech: an oval running to a pointed tip. Hazel: nearly round, then a sudden short sharp point. No leaves on the tree? Check the winter bud.

At a glance

Look atCommon beechHazel
Tip of a leafAn oval running to a pointed tipNearly round, then a sudden short sharp point
Winter budLong, slim, copper and sharply pointedFat, green and oval, with a blunt tip
Where the stems leave the groundOne trunk, the crown on topMany slender stems rising from one base

Three ways to tell them apart

Tip of a leafLeaves
Common beech: tip of a leaf
Common beechAn oval running to a pointed tip
Hazel: tip of a leaf
HazelNearly round, then a sudden short sharp point
Winter budTwigs and buds
Common beechLong, slim, copper and sharply pointed
HazelFat, green and oval, with a blunt tip
Where the stems leave the groundShape
Common beech: where the stems leave the groundJuraj Ahel, CC BY 4.0
Common beechOne trunk, the crown on top
Hazel: where the stems leave the groundAaron Liston, CC BY 4.0
HazelMany slender stems rising from one base
Think you can tell them apart now? Try the tree quiz: real photographs, and what gives each tree away.Take the quiz

The two trees

Common beech

Fagus sylvatica

Beech is a big tree with smooth, silvery grey bark on a round trunk. Its long, pointed copper buds stand out from the twig at a wide angle.

How to identify common beech →

Hazel

Corylus avellana

Hazel is a shrub or small tree with many stems rising from the ground, common in hedges and woods. Its soft leaves are nearly round and end in a sudden sharp point.

How to identify hazel →

Their other lookalikes

Common beechAlderCommon beech or alder?Quickest check: the tip of a leafCommon beechCommon ashCommon beech or common ash?Quickest check: the older trunkCommon beechHornbeamCommon beech or hornbeam?Quickest check: the trunk surfaceCommon beechSweet chestnutCommon beech or sweet chestnut?Quickest check: the huskCommon beechEnglish oakCommon beech or English oak?Quickest check: the older trunkHazelAlderHazel or alder?Quickest check: the tip of a leafHazelWych elmHazel or wych elm?Quickest check: the base of the leafHazelHornbeamHazel or hornbeam?Quickest check: what holds each nut
In the app

See them side by side in Treely

  • Both trees, part by partLeaves, bark, buds, flowers and fruit, photographed through the year
  • Every lookalike side by sideThe checks that settle it, for every pair people mix up
  • A short round each dayUntil you can tell them apart at a glance
  • The full GuideBoth trees written up in full, with where to find them
App StoreGoogle Play

Free to download.

Every fact on this page is checked against the Collins Tree Guide, last in November 2026. Spotted something that looks wrong in front of a real tree? Tell us. How we check.

Photographs: Juraj Ahel (CC BY 4.0), Aaron Liston (CC BY 4.0), Leon Cross (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.