Which to use
“fine” is a noun and “free” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,686
- “fine” frequency rank
- #5,205
- “free” frequency rank
- 25891
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fine | free |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Multa. | Gratis, gratuito. |
Where the eye mixes fine and free
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between fine and free
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fine is /faɪn/ while free is /fɹiː/. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25891, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fine is recorded at frequency rank #20,686, classified as anoun, pronounced /faɪn/. free is at rank #5,205, tagged as anadj, pronounced /fɹiː/.
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 25891, this pair ranks #234,306 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fine vs free
Shared letters: ef. Private to "fine": in. Private to "free": r.
"fine" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fine" and "free" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "fine" vs "free" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fine" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "free" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #234,306 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fine" and "free" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fideo vs fine". 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 #234,306 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.