Which to use
“fax” is a noun and “fixe” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,370
- “fax” frequency rank
- #8,337
- “fixe” frequency rank
- 22707
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fax | fixe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aparelho transmissor e receptor de documentos em fac-símile | belo, agradável, bom, muito bom, bonito, confiável, "com estilo" |
Where the eye mixes fax and fixe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fax with fixe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fax is /ˈfaks/ while fixe is /ˈfi.ʃɨ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22707, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fax is recorded at frequency rank #14,370, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈfaks/. fixe is at rank #8,337, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈfi.ʃɨ/.
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 22707, this pair ranks #47,278 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fax vs fixe
Shared letters: fx. Private to "fax": a. Private to "fixe": ei.
"fax" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "fixe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- fixe ← ffixe · fiex · fixxe · fxie · ifxe
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fax" and "fixe" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fax" or "fixe"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "fax" and "fixe" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fax" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fixe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #47,278 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fax" and "fixe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fava vs fax". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #47,278 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.