# fails vs frail

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### fails
*verb · IPA /feɪlz/ · frequency rank #4,600*
third-person singular simple present indicative of fail

### frail
*adjective · IPA /fɹeɪl/ · frequency rank #20,119*
Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish.

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