Which to use
“fifths” and “fifties” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,150
- “fifths” frequency rank
- #22,085
- “fifties” frequency rank
- 49235
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fifths | fifties |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of fifth | plural of fifty |
Where the eye mixes fifths and fifties
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fifths vs fifties
A purely visual mix-up. fifths (/fɪfθs/) and fifties (/ˈfɪftiz/) 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 49235, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fifths is recorded at frequency rank #27,150, classified as anoun, pronounced /fɪfθs/. fifties is at rank #22,085, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈfɪftiz/.
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 49235, this pair ranks #185,525 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fifths vs fifties
Shared letters: fist. Private to "fifths": h. Private to "fifties": e.
"fifths" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC · "fifties" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fifths" and "fifties" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "fifths" vs "fifties" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "fifths" and "fifties" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fifths" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fifties" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #185,525 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fifths" and "fifties" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fifties vs fiftieth". 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 #185,525 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.