Which to use
“fief” and “file” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,833
- “fief” frequency rank
- #3,678
- “file” frequency rank
- 13511
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fief | file |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Domaine noble dont le détenteur, le vassal, devait l’hommage et ordinairement aussi quelque redevance, quelque service, etc., au seigneur, possesseur du domaine. | Suite ou rangée de choses ou de personnes disposées en long et l’une derrière l’autre. |
Where the eye mixes fief and file
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fief with file
A purely visual mix-up. fief (\fjɛf\) and file (\fil\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13511, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fief is recorded at frequency rank #9,833, classified as anoun, pronounced \fjɛf\. file is at rank #3,678, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fil\.
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 13511, this pair ranks #400,725 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fief vs file
Shared letters: efi. Private to "fief": -. Private to "file": l.
"fief" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "file" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fief" and "file" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "fief" vs "file" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fief" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "file" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #400,725 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fief" and "file" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fief vs filez". 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 #400,725 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.