Which to use
“file” and “fits” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,825
- “file” frequency rank
- #4,527
- “fits” frequency rank
- 6352
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | file | fits |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A collection of papers collated and archived together. | plural of fit |
Where the eye mixes file and fits
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. file (/faɪl/) and fits (/fɪts/) 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 6352, 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/. fits is at rank #4,527, tagged as anoun, pronounced /fɪts/.
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 6352, this pair ranks #511,771 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of file vs fits
Shared letters: fi. Private to "file": el. Private to "fits": st.
"file" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "fits" · 4 letters · shape CVCC