fix vs fixed, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“fix” is an adjective and “fixed” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,793
“fix” frequency rank: #46,645
“fixed” frequency rank: 53438
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	fix	fixed
Definition	starr, unveränderlich	Präteritum (simple past) des Verbs fix

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fix and fixed apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

fix

5 ch

fixed

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: fix is anadjective and fixedaverb. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “fix” sits inside “fixed”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53438, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fix is recorded at frequency rank #6,793, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɪks]. fixed is at rank #46,645, tagged as averb, pronounced […].

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 53438, this pair ranks #1,057,987 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fix vs fixed

Shared letters: fix. Private to "fix": -. Private to "fixed": de.

"fix" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "fixed" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

fixed ← ffixed · fiexd · fixde · fixedd · fixxed · fxied · ifxed

Frequency comparison

fix#6,793

fixed#46,645

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fix" and "fixed" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fix" is an adjective and "fixed" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "fix" or "fixed"?

"fix" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,793 in our German list, against #46,645 for "fixed". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fix vs fixed

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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