Which to use
“forget” and “fret” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #924
- “forget” frequency rank
- #20,362
- “fret” frequency rank
- 21286
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | forget | fret |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To lose remembrance of. | Especially when describing animals: to consume, devour, or eat. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set forget and fret apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. forget (/fəˈɡɛt/) and fret (/fɹɛt/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21286, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
forget is recorded at frequency rank #924, classified as averb, pronounced /fəˈɡɛt/. fret is at rank #20,362, tagged as averb, pronounced /fɹɛt/.
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 21286, this pair ranks #424,990 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of forget vs fret
Shared letters: efrt. Private to "forget": go. Private to "fret": -.
"forget" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "fret" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "forget" and "fret" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "forget" or "fret"?
Remembering forget vs fret
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “forget” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable