Which to use
“fêtes” is a noun and “fixés” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,929
- “fêtes” frequency rank
- #9,834
- “fixés” frequency rank
- 12763
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fêtes | fixés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de fête. | Masculin pluriel de fixé. |
Where the eye mixes fêtes and fixés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fêtes with fixés
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fêtes is \fɛt\ while fixés is \fik.se\. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fêtes is recorded at frequency rank #2,929, classified as anoun, pronounced \fɛt\. fixés is at rank #9,834, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fik.se\.
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 12763, this pair ranks #403,870 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fêtes vs fixés
Shared letters: fs. Private to "fêtes": etê. Private to "fixés": ixé.
"fêtes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "fixés" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fêtes" and "fixés" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fêtes" or "fixés"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "fêtes" and "fixés" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fêtes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fixés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #403,870 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fêtes" and "fixés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "filez vs fixés". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #403,870 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.