fácilvsfairWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“fácil” and “fair” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#464
“fácil” frequency rank
#12,248
“fair” frequency rank
12712
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fácil fair
Definition diz-se do que não é nem duro nem difícil de se realizar, daquilo que não exige muito trabalho ou esforço justo

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fácil and fair apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
fácil
4 ch
fair

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fácil (/ˈfa.siɫ/) and fair (/fɛːɐ̯/ ouvir^(fonte ?)) 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 12712, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fácil is recorded at frequency rank #464, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈfa.siɫ/. fair is at rank #12,248, tagged as anadj, pronounced /fɛːɐ̯/ ouvir^(fonte ?).

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 12712, this pair ranks #59,798 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fácil vs fair

Shared letters: fi. Private to "fácil": clá. Private to "fair": ar.

"fácil" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "fair" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fairafir · fairr · fari · ffair · fiar

Frequency comparison

fácil#464
fair#12,248

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fácil" and "fair" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈfa.siɫ/ versus /fɛːɐ̯/ ouvir^(fonte ?)) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fácil" or "fair"?
"fácil" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #464 in our Portuguese list, against #12,248 for "fair". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fácil vs fair

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 “fácil” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list