First vs fist, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“First” is a noun and “fist” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,197
“First” frequency rank: #49,674
“fist” frequency rank: 53871
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	First	fist
Definition	höchste Kante an einem geneigten Dach	2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs fisten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set First and fist apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch

First

4 ch

fist

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: First is [fɪʁst] while fist is [fɪst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53871, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

First is recorded at frequency rank #4,197, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɪʁst]. fist is at rank #49,674, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɪst].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 53871, this pair ranks #1,041,106 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of First vs fist

Shared letters: fist. Private to "First": r. Private to "fist": -.

"First" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "fist" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

First ← ffirst · firrst · firsst · firstt · firts · fisrt · ifrst
fist ← ffist · fisst · fistt · fits · fsit · ifst

Frequency comparison

First#4,197

fist#49,674

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "First" and "fist" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "First" is a noun and "fist" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "First" or "fist"?

"First" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,197 in our German list, against #49,674 for "fist". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering First vs fist

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “First”; for a verb, it's “fist”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “First” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable