Which to use
“fast” and “first” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,583
- “fast” frequency rank
- #10,855
- “first” frequency rank
- 27438
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fast | first |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rápido, veloz. | Primero. |
Where the eye mixes fast and first
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fast vs first
A purely visual mix-up. fast (/fɑːst/) and first (/fɜːst/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27438, 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/. first is at rank #10,855, tagged as anadj, pronounced /fɜːst/.
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 27438, this pair ranks #226,832 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fast vs first
Shared letters: fst. Private to "fast": a. Private to "first": ir.
"fast" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "first" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fast" for "first" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fast" vs "first" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fast" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "first" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #226,832 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fast" and "first" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fast 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 #226,832 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.