Which to use
“fast” and “fate” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,583
- “fast” frequency rank
- #42,443
- “fate” frequency rank
- 59026
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fast | fate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rápido, veloz. | Vanidosa, forma femenina singular del adjetivo fat. |
Where the eye mixes fast and fate
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fast with fate
A purely visual mix-up. fast (/fɑːst/) and fate ([fat]) 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 59026, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fast is recorded at frequency rank #16,583, classified as anadj, pronounced /fɑːst/. fate is at rank #42,443, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fat].
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 59026, this pair ranks #64,178 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fast vs fate
Shared letters: aft. Private to "fast": s. Private to "fate": e.
"fast" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "fate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fast" for "fate" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fast" or "fate"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fast" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #64,178 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fast" and "fate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fate vs fuste". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #64,178 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.