finsvsfixésWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,196
“fins” frequency rank
#9,834
“fixés” frequency rank
13030
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fins fixés
Definition Masculin pluriel de fin. Masculin pluriel de fixé.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fins and fixés apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
fins
5 ch
fixés

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fins (\fɛ̃\) and fixés (\fik.se\) 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 13030, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fins is recorded at frequency rank #3,196, classified as anadj, pronounced \fɛ̃\. 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 13030, this pair ranks #402,727 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fins vs fixés

Shared letters: fis. Private to "fins": n. Private to "fixés": .

"fins" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "fixés" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • finsffins · finns · finss · fisn · fnis · ifns

Frequency comparison

fins#3,196
fixés#9,834

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fins" and "fixés" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fɛ̃\ versus \fik.se\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fins" or "fixés"?
"fins" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,196 in our French list, against #9,834 for "fixés". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fins vs fixés

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 “fins” 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