faecesvsFatesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: faeces is a noun, Fates is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“faeces” is a noun and “Fates” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#41,118
“faeces” frequency rank
#22,966
“Fates” frequency rank
64084
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature faeces Fates
Definition Alternative spelling of feces. Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis; supernatural beings who controlled the destiny of men and of the gods.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
faeces
5 ch
Fates

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: faeces is anoun and Fatesaname. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64084, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

faeces is recorded at frequency rank #41,118, classified as anoun. Fates is at rank #22,966, tagged as aname, pronounced /feɪts/.

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 64084, this pair ranks #79,566 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of faeces vs Fates

Shared letters: aefs. Private to "faeces": c. Private to "Fates": t.

"faeces" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "Fates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • faecesafeces · facees · faecces · faecess · faecse · faeecs · feaces · ffaeces
  • Fatesaftes · faets · fatess · fatse · fattes · ffates · ftaes

Frequency comparison

faeces#41,118
Fates#22,966

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "faeces" and "Fates" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "faeces" is a noun and "Fates" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "faeces" or "Fates"?
"Fates" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,966 in our English list, against #41,118 for "faeces". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering faeces vs Fates

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list