Which to use
“fair” is an adjective and “faire” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,248
- “fair” frequency rank
- #34,275
- “faire” frequency rank
- 46523
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fair | faire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | justo | fazer |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fair and faire apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fair is /fɛːɐ̯/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while faire is \fɛʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “fair” sits inside “faire”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46523, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fair is recorded at frequency rank #12,248, classified as anadj, pronounced /fɛːɐ̯/ ouvir^(fonte ?). faire is at rank #34,275, tagged as averb, pronounced \fɛʁ\.
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 46523, this pair ranks #18,773 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fair vs faire
Shared letters: afir. Private to "fair": -. Private to "faire": e.
"fair" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "faire" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fair" and "faire" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fair" or "faire"?
Remembering fair vs faire
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “fair”; for a verb, it's “faire”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fair” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable