Which to use
“fail” is a verb and “family” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,441
- “fail” frequency rank
- #205
- “family” frequency rank
- 2646
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fail | family |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To be unsuccessful. | A group of people who are closely related to one another (by blood, marriage or adoption); kin; in particular, a set of parents and their children; an immediate family. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fail and family apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fail is /feɪl/ while family is /ˈfæ.m(ɪ.)li/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 2646, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fail is recorded at frequency rank #2,441, classified as averb, pronounced /feɪl/. family is at rank #205, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈfæ.m(ɪ.)li/.
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 2646, this pair ranks #524,429 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fail vs family
Shared letters: afil. Private to "fail": -. Private to "family": my.
"fail" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "family" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fail" and "family" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fail" or "family"?
Remembering fail vs family
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “fail”; for a noun, it's “family”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fail” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable