Which to use
“fis” is a verb and “fox” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,880
- “fis” frequency rank
- #7,832
- “fox” frequency rank
- 24712
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fis | fox |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du passé simple de faire. | Race de chien, abréviation de fox-terrier. |
Where the eye mixes fis and fox
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fis with fox
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fis is \fi\ while fox is \fɔks\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24712, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fis is recorded at frequency rank #16,880, classified as averb, pronounced \fi\. fox is at rank #7,832, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fɔks\.
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 24712, this pair ranks #345,049 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fis vs fox
Shared letters: f. Private to "fis": is. Private to "fox": ox.
"fis" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "fox" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fis" for "fox" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "fis" or "fox" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fox" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #345,049 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fis" and "fox" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fee vs fis". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #345,049 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.