fedvsfezWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fed is a verb, fez is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fed” is a verb and “fez” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,409
“fed” frequency rank
#26,044
“fez” frequency rank
45453
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fed fez
Definition Pasado simple del verbo (to) feed. Tipo de gorro de fieltro con forma de cono truncado de cuya parte superior a menudo cuelga una borla

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fed and fez apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
fed
3 ch
fez

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

fed and fez form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - d in “fed” becomes z in “fez” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45453, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fed is recorded at frequency rank #19,409, classified as averb, pronounced /fɛd/. fez is at rank #26,044, 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 45453, this pair ranks #131,354 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

fed#19,409
fez#26,044

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fed" and "fez" be used interchangeably?
No, "fed" and "fez" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering fed vs fez

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “fed”; for a noun, it's “fez”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fed” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list