Which to use
“fines” and “fixes” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,894
- “fines” frequency rank
- #13,150
- “fixes” frequency rank
- 23044
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fines | fixes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of fine | plural of fix |
Where the eye mixes fines and fixes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fines vs fixes
A purely visual mix-up. fines (/faɪnz/) and fixes (/ˈfɪksɪz/) 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 a single letter - n in “fines” becomes x in “fixes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23044, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fines is recorded at frequency rank #9,894, classified as anoun, pronounced /faɪnz/. fixes is at rank #13,150, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈfɪksɪz/.
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 23044, this pair ranks #412,121 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fines vs fixes
Shared letters: efis. Private to "fines": n. Private to "fixes": x.
"fines" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "fixes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fines" for "fixes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fines" vs "fixes" - which ranks higher?
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 "fines" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fixes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #412,121 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fines" and "fixes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fie vs fixes". 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 #412,121 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.