Which to use
“flared” is a verb and “frayed” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,754
- “flared” frequency rank
- #36,991
- “frayed” frequency rank
- 61745
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | flared | frayed |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of flare | Unravelled; worn at the end or edge. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set flared and frayed apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: flared is /flɛəd/ while frayed is /fɹeɪd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61745, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
flared is recorded at frequency rank #24,754, classified as averb, pronounced /flɛəd/. frayed is at rank #36,991, tagged as anadj, pronounced /fɹeɪd/.
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 61745, this pair ranks #92,461 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of flared vs frayed
Shared letters: adefr. Private to "flared": l. Private to "frayed": y.
"flared" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "frayed" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "flared" and "frayed" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "flared" or "frayed"?
Remembering flared vs frayed
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “flared”; for an adjective, it's “frayed”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “flared” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable