faxvsfoxTell them apart

Which to use

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

#13,698
“fax” frequency rank
#5,109
“fox” frequency rank
18807
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fax fox
Definition Sistema de comunicación que permite enviar y recibir información gráfica a través de la línea telefónica. (Vulpes vulpes) Zorro.

Where the eye mixes fax and fox

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

3 ch
fax
3 ch
fox

Visual trap between fax and fox

A purely visual mix-up. fax ([ˈfaks]) and fox (/fɒks/) 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 a single letter - a in “fax” becomes o in “fox”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18807, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fax is recorded at frequency rank #13,698, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfaks]. fox is at rank #5,109, tagged as anoun, pronounced /fɒks/.

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 18807, this pair ranks #266,385 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fax vs fox

Shared letters: fx. Private to "fax": a. Private to "fox": o.

"fax" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "fox" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fax" and "fox" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfaks] versus /fɒks/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fax" or "fox"?
"fox" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,109 in our Spanish list, against #13,698 for "fax". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "fax" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "fox" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #266,385 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "fax" and "fox" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "falo vs fax". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #266,385 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