faivsfixConfusable pair

Which to use

“fai” and “fix” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#40,830
“fai” frequency rank
#40,843
“fix” frequency rank
81673
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fai fix
Definition Tercera persona del singular (el, ela, vostede) del presente de indicativo de facer. Fijar.

Where the eye mixes fai and fix

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. fai (CVV) and fix (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

3 ch
fai
3 ch
fix

Look-alike desk: fai vs fix

A purely visual mix-up. fai ([ˈfa̠j]) and fix (/fɪks/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81673, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fai is recorded at frequency rank #40,830, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfa̠j]. fix is at rank #40,843, tagged as averb, pronounced /fɪks/.

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 81673, this pair ranks #10,129 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fai vs fix

Shared letters: fi. Private to "fai": a. Private to "fix": x.

"fai" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "fix" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fai" and "fix" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfa̠j] versus /fɪks/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "fai" vs "fix" - which ranks higher?
"fai" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,830 in our Spanish list, against #40,843 for "fix". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "fai" and "fix" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "fai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "fix" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #10,129 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "fai" and "fix" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fai vs falo". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #10,129 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list