Which to use
“fifths” and “fists” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,150
- “fifths” frequency rank
- #16,470
- “fists” frequency rank
- 43620
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fifths | fists |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of fifth | plural of fist |
Where the eye mixes fifths and fists
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fifths runs 6 letters (CVCCCC) against fists's 5 (CVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: fifths vs fists
A purely visual mix-up. fifths (/fɪfθs/) and fists (/fɪsts/) 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 43620, 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/. fists is at rank #16,470, tagged as anoun, pronounced /fɪsts/.
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 43620, this pair ranks #238,244 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fifths vs fists
Shared letters: fist. Private to "fifths": h. Private to "fists": -.
"fifths" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC · "fists" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fifths" and "fists" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fifths" or "fists"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fifths" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fists" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #238,244 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fifths" and "fists" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fists vs frets". 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 #238,244 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.