Which to use
“farther” and “faster” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,926
- “farther” frequency rank
- #2,295
- “faster” frequency rank
- 11221
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | farther | faster |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative form of further. (See also the usage notes at further.) | comparative form of fast: more fast |
Where the eye mixes farther and faster
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. farther runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against faster's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between farther and faster
A purely visual mix-up. farther (/ˈfɑːðə/) and faster (/ˈfæstɚ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11221, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
farther is recorded at frequency rank #8,926, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈfɑːðə/. faster is at rank #2,295, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈfæstɚ/.
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 11221, this pair ranks #488,245 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of farther vs faster
Shared letters: aefrt. Private to "farther": h. Private to "faster": s.
"farther" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "faster" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "farther" for "faster" ever safe?
Which is more common, "farther" or "faster"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "farther" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "faster" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #488,245 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "farther" and "faster" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Farber vs farther". 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 #488,245 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.