Which to use
“free” is an adjective and “from” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #211
- “free” frequency rank
- #26
- “from” frequency rank
- 237
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | free | from |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Unconstrained. | Used to indicate source or provenance. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set free and from apart are highlighted. They share 2 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: free is /fɹiː/ while from is /fɹɒm/. 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 (adjective vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 237, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
free is recorded at frequency rank #211, classified as anadj, pronounced /fɹiː/. from is at rank #26, tagged as aprep, pronounced /fɹɒm/.
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 237, this pair ranks #529,689 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of free vs from
Shared letters: fr. Private to "free": e. Private to "from": mo.
"free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "from" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "free" and "from" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "free" or "from"?
Remembering free vs from
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “free”; for a preposition, it's “from”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “free” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable