fem vs fui, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“fem” is a num and “fui” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#41,915
“fem” frequency rank: #852
“fui” frequency rank: 42767
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	fem	fui
Definition	Cinco.	Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de ser.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fem and fui apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

fem

3 ch

fui

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fem is [fɛmˀ] while fui is [ˈfwi]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42767, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fem is recorded at frequency rank #41,915, classified as anum, pronounced [fɛmˀ]. fui is at rank #852, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfwi].

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 42767, this pair ranks #146,404 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fem vs fui

Shared letters: f. Private to "fem": em. Private to "fui": iu.

"fem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "fui" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

fem#41,915

fui#852

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fem" and "fui" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fem" is a num and "fui" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "fem" or "fui"?

"fui" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #852 in our Spanish list, against #41,915 for "fem". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fem vs fui

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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