Which to use
“fixed” is a verb and “flexed” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,042
- “fixed” frequency rank
- #38,840
- “flexed” frequency rank
- 40882
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fixed | flexed |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of fix | Bent. |
Where the eye mixes fixed and flexed
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fixed vs flexed
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fixed is /fɪkst/ while flexed is /flɛkst/. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40882, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fixed is recorded at frequency rank #2,042, classified as averb, pronounced /fɪkst/. flexed is at rank #38,840, tagged as anadj, pronounced /flɛkst/.
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 40882, this pair ranks #263,566 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fixed vs flexed
Shared letters: defx. Private to "fixed": i. Private to "flexed": l.
"fixed" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "flexed" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fixed" and "flexed" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "fixed" vs "flexed" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fixed" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "flexed" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #263,566 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fixed" and "flexed" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "flaked vs flexed". 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 #263,566 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.