Which to use
“file” and “firm” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,825
- “file” frequency rank
- #1,693
- “firm” frequency rank
- 3518
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | file | firm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A collection of papers collated and archived together. | A business partnership; the name under which it trades. |
Where the eye mixes file and firm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. file (/faɪl/) and firm (/fɜɹm/) 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 3518, 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/. firm is at rank #1,693, tagged as anoun, pronounced /fɜɹm/.
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 3518, this pair ranks #521,867 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of file vs firm
Shared letters: fi. Private to "file": el. Private to "firm": mr.
"file" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "firm" · 4 letters · shape CVCC