# fail vs file

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### fail
*verb · IPA /feɪl/ · frequency rank #2,441*
To be unsuccessful.

### file
*noun · IPA /faɪl/ · frequency rank #1,825*
A collection of papers collated and archived together.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fail-vs-file