Which to use
“flex” is a verb and “fox” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,574
- “flex” frequency rank
- #6,658
- “fox” frequency rank
- 26232
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | flex | fox |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs flexen | der Fuchs |
Where the eye mixes flex and fox
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between flex and fox
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: flex is [flɛks] while fox is [fɒks]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26232, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
flex is recorded at frequency rank #19,574, classified as averb, pronounced [flɛks]. fox is at rank #6,658, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɒks].
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 26232, this pair ranks #1,821,231 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of flex vs fox
Shared letters: fx. Private to "flex": el. Private to "fox": o.
"flex" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "fox" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- flex ← felx · fflex · flexx · fllex · flxe · lfex
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "flex" for "fox" ever safe?
Frequency check: "flex" vs "fox" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "flex" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fox" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,821,231 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "flex" and "fox" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Filet vs flex". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,821,231 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.