Wasu masana falsafa da masana kimiyyar siyasa sun bambanta tsakanin haƙƙin da'awar da 'yanci . Haƙƙin da'awa, haƙƙi ne wanda ya ƙunshi nauyi, ayyuka, ko wajibai a kan wasu ɓangarori game da mai haƙƙin. Sabanin haka, haƙƙin 'yanci haƙƙi ne wanda baya haifar da wajibai a kan wasu ɓangarori, a'a kawai 'yanci ko izini ga mai hakki. Bambance-bambancen da ke tsakanin waɗannan ma'anoni biyu na "haƙƙi" ya samo asali ne daga masanin shari'a na Amurka Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld bincike game da su a cikin aikinsa na seminal Conceptions Fundamental Legal Conceptions, Kamar yadda Aiwatar da Shari'a Reasoning da sauran Legal Essays a shekarata (1919). Haƙƙoƙin ‘yanci da neman haƙƙoƙan juna saɓanin juna ne: mutum yana da haqqin da zai ba shi damar yin wani abu face babu wani wanda yake da haqqin da ya hana shi yin haka; haka kuma, idan mutum yana da hakki akan wani, wannan ’yancin na wani yana da iyaka. Wannan saboda ra'ayoyin deontic na wajibci da izini sune De Morgan dual ;