fesvsfraConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#38,122
“fes” frequency rank
#22,703
“fra” frequency rank
60825
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fes fra
Definition Forma del plural de fe. Fray (antes de un nombre propio).

Where the eye mixes fes and fra

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. fes (CVC) and fra (CCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

3 ch
fes
3 ch
fra

Look-alike desk: fes vs fra

A purely visual mix-up. fes ([ˈfes]) and fra ([ˈfɾa]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60825, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fes is recorded at frequency rank #38,122, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfes]. fra is at rank #22,703, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɾa].

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 60825, this pair ranks #57,583 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fes vs fra

Shared letters: f. Private to "fes": es. Private to "fra": ar.

"fes" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "fra" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "fes" for "fra" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfes] versus [ˈfɾa]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fes" or "fra"?
"fra" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,703 in our Spanish list, against #38,122 for "fes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "fes" and "fra" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "fes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "fra" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #57,583 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "fes" and "fra" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "faces vs fes". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #57,583 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