Which to use
“fester” and “filter” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,838
- “fester” frequency rank
- #4,449
- “filter” frequency rank
- 43287
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fester | filter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A fistula. | A device which separates a suspended, dissolved, or particulate matter from a fluid, solution, or other substance; any device that separates one substance from another. |
Where the eye mixes fester and filter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fester vs filter
A purely visual mix-up. fester (/ˈfɛstə(ɹ)/) and filter (/ˈfɪltə/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43287, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fester is recorded at frequency rank #38,838, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈfɛstə(ɹ)/. filter is at rank #4,449, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈfɪltə/.
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 43287, this pair ranks #241,451 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fester vs filter
Shared letters: efrt. Private to "fester": s. Private to "filter": il.
"fester" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "filter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fester" for "filter" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fester" vs "filter" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fester" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "filter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #241,451 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fester" and "filter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fester vs fete". 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 #241,451 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.