Which to use
“filed” is a verb and “filter” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,058
- “filed” frequency rank
- #4,449
- “filter” frequency rank
- 7507
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | filed | filter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of file | A device which separates a suspended, dissolved, or particulate matter from a fluid, solution, or other substance; any device that separates one substance from another. |
Where the eye mixes filed and filter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: filed is /faɪld/ while filter is /ˈfɪltə/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7507, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
filed is recorded at frequency rank #3,058, classified as averb, pronounced /faɪld/. filter is at rank #4,449, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈfɪltə/.
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 7507, this pair ranks #506,811 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of filed vs filter
Shared letters: efil. Private to "filed": d. Private to "filter": rt.
"filed" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "filter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC