Which to use
“fil” and “filo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,124
- “fil” frequency rank
- #10,668
- “filo” frequency rank
- 48792
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fil | filo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Elefante. | En un instrumento cortante, el borde agudo que corta. |
Where the eye mixes fil and filo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between fil and filo
A purely visual mix-up. fil ([ˈfil]) and filo ([ˈfilo]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “fil” sits inside “filo”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fil is recorded at frequency rank #38,124, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfil]. filo is at rank #10,668, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfilo].
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 48792, this pair ranks #112,512 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fil vs filo
Shared letters: fil. Private to "fil": -. Private to "filo": o.
"fil" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "filo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- filo ← ffilo · fillo · fiol · flio · iflo
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fil" for "filo" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fil" or "filo"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fil" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "filo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #112,512 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fil" and "filo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fil vs filos". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #112,512 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.