fíjesevsfileteWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#44,215
“fíjese” frequency rank
#30,914
“filete” frequency rank
75129
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fíjese filete
Definition Segunda persona del singular (usted) del imperativo afirmativo de fijarse (con el pronombre enclítico). Pequeña lonja de carne magra o de pescado limpio de raspas.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fíjese and filete apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
fíjese
6 ch
filete

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fíjese is [ˈfixese] while filete is [fiˈlet̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75129, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fíjese is recorded at frequency rank #44,215, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfixese]. filete is at rank #30,914, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fiˈlet̪e].

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 75129, this pair ranks #20,137 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fíjese vs filete

Shared letters: ef. Private to "fíjese": jsí. Private to "filete": ilt.

"fíjese" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "filete" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fileteffilete · fielte · fileet · filette · fillete · filtee · fliete · iflete

Frequency comparison

fíjese#44,215
filete#30,914

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fíjese" and "filete" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fíjese" is a verb and "filete" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "fíjese" or "filete"?
"filete" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,914 in our Spanish list, against #44,215 for "fíjese". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fíjese vs filete

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “fíjese”; for a noun, it's “filete”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fíjese” 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