# frail vs fray

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### frail
*adjective · IPA /fɹeɪl/ · frequency rank #20,119*
Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish.

### fray
*verb · IPA /fɹeɪ/ · frequency rank #20,120*
To rub or wear away (something); to cause (something made of strands twisted or woven together, such as cloth or rope) to unravel through friction; also, to irritate (something) through chafing or rubbing; to chafe.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-fray