Which to use
“fig” and “fil” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,879
- “fig” frequency rank
- #1,263
- “fil” frequency rank
- 18142
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fig | fil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Figurine, pion représentant un personnage. | Petite partie longue et déliée qu’on détache de l’écorce du chanvre, du lin, etc. |
Where the eye mixes fig and fil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fig vs fil
A purely visual mix-up. fig (\fiɡ\) and fil (\fil\) 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 a single letter - g in “fig” becomes l in “fil”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18142, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fig is recorded at frequency rank #16,879, classified as anoun, pronounced \fiɡ\. fil is at rank #1,263, 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 18142, this pair ranks #379,784 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fig vs fil
Shared letters: fi. Private to "fig": g. Private to "fil": l.
"fig" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "fil" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fig" and "fil" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fig" or "fil"?
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 "fig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #379,784 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fig" and "fil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fee vs fig". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #379,784 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.