Which to use
“fib” is a noun and “FTP” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,642
- “fib” frequency rank
- #28,555
- “FTP” frequency rank
- 72197
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fib | FTP |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A lie, especially one that is more or less inconsequential. | free-to-play |
Where the eye mixes fib and FTP
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fib with FTP
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fib is /fɪb/ while FTP is /ˌɛf tiː ˈpiː/. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72197, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fib is recorded at frequency rank #43,642, classified as anoun, pronounced /fɪb/. FTP is at rank #28,555, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˌɛf tiː ˈpiː/.
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 72197, this pair ranks #43,886 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fib vs FTP
Shared letters: f. Private to "fib": bi. Private to "FTP": pt.
"fib" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "FTP" · 3 letters · shape CCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fib" for "FTP" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fib" or "FTP"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "fib" and "FTP" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fib" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "FTP" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #43,886 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fib" and "FTP" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fib vs foh". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #43,886 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.