fácil vs fil, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“fácil” is an adjective and “fil” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#464
“fácil” frequency rank: #35,592
“fil” frequency rank: 36056
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch

fácil

3 ch

fil

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fácil is /ˈfa.siɫ/ while fil is /fil/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36056, 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/. fil is at rank #35,592, 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 36056, this pair ranks #30,841 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fácil vs fil

Shared letters: fil. Private to "fácil": cá. Private to "fil": -.

"fácil" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "fil" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

fácil#464

fil#35,592

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fácil" and "fil" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fácil" is an adjective and "fil" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "fácil" or "fil"?

"fácil" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #464 in our Portuguese list, against #35,592 for "fil". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fácil vs fil

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “fácil”; for a noun, it's “fil”.
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