Which to use
“Fates” is a name and “feces” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,966
- “Fates” frequency rank
- #21,795
- “feces” frequency rank
- 44761
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Fates | feces |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis; supernatural beings who controlled the destiny of men and of the gods. | Digested waste material (typically solid or semi-solid) discharged from a human or other mammal's stomach to the intestines; excrement. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Fates and feces apart are highlighted. They share 3 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: Fates is /feɪts/ while feces is /ˈfiːsiːz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44761, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Fates is recorded at frequency rank #22,966, classified as aname, pronounced /feɪts/. feces is at rank #21,795, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈfiːsiːz/.
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 44761, this pair ranks #227,595 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Fates vs feces
Shared letters: efs. Private to "Fates": at. Private to "feces": c.
"Fates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "feces" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Fates" and "feces" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Fates" or "feces"?
Remembering Fates vs feces
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Fates”; for a noun, it's “feces”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Fates” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable