famvsftWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“fam” and “ft” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#33,257
“fam” frequency rank
#17,714
“ft” frequency rank
50971
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fam ft
Definition Faim. feuillet.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fam and ft apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
fam
2 ch
ft

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fam ([ˈfæm]) and ft (\fœ.jɛ\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50971, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fam is recorded at frequency rank #33,257, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfæm]. ft is at rank #17,714, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fœ.jɛ\.

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 50971, this pair ranks #158,564 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fam vs ft

Shared letters: f. Private to "fam": am. Private to "ft": t.

"fam" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "ft" · 2 letters · shape CC

Frequency comparison

fam#33,257
ft#17,714

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fam" and "ft" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfæm] versus \fœ.jɛ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fam" or "ft"?
"ft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,714 in our French list, against #33,257 for "fam". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fam vs ft

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fam” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list