Which to use
“fra” is a noun and “free” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,703
- “fra” frequency rank
- #5,205
- “free” frequency rank
- 27908
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fra | free |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fray (antes de un nombre propio). | Gratis, gratuito. |
Where the eye mixes fra and free
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fra with free
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fra is [ˈfɾa] while free is /fɹiː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27908, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fra is recorded at frequency rank #22,703, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɾa]. 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 27908, this pair ranks #224,576 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fra vs free
Shared letters: fr. Private to "fra": a. Private to "free": e.
"fra" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- free ← fere · ffree · fre · frree · rfee
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fra" for "free" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fra" vs "free" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fra" 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 #224,576 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fra" and "free" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fora vs fra". 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 #224,576 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.