Which to use
“file” is a noun and “fill” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,825
- “file” frequency rank
- #2,297
- “fill” frequency rank
- 4122
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | file | fill |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A collection of papers collated and archived together. | To make full |
Where the eye mixes file and fill
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between file and fill
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: file is /faɪl/ while fill is /fɪl/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “file” becomes l in “fill”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4122, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
file is recorded at frequency rank #1,825, classified as anoun, pronounced /faɪl/. fill is at rank #2,297, tagged as averb, pronounced /fɪl/.
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 4122, this pair ranks #519,922 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of file vs fill
Shared letters: fil. Private to "file": e. Private to "fill": -.
"file" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "fill" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "file" for "fill" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "file" or "fill" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "file" and "fill" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "file" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fill" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #519,922 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "file" and "fill" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "file vs Foyle". 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 #519,922 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.