Which to use
“fast” is an adjective and “fes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,583
- “fast” frequency rank
- #38,122
- “fes” frequency rank
- 54705
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fast | fes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rápido, veloz. | Forma del plural de fe. |
Where the eye mixes fast and fes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fast vs fes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fast is /fɑːst/ while fes is [ˈfes]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54705, 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/. fes is at rank #38,122, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfes].
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 54705, this pair ranks #82,125 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fast vs fes
Shared letters: fs. Private to "fast": at. Private to "fes": e.
"fast" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "fes" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- fast ← afst · fasst · fastt · fats · ffast · fsat
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fast" for "fes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fast" vs "fes" - which ranks higher?
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 "fes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #82,125 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fast" and "fes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "faces vs fes". 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 #82,125 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.