fair and fare are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. fair means “free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules”. fare means “an agenda of things to do”. fair is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈfɛɹ/
1.adj.free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
“a fair referee”
2.adj.not excessive or extreme
“a fairish income”
3.adj.very pleasing to the eye
“my bonny lass”
| fair | fare | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈfɛɹ/ | /ˈfɛɹ/ |
| Said | fer | fer |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, noun, adverb, verb | noun, verb |
| Senses | 17 | 6 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | just | menu |
Full entry for fair · Full entry for fare · More comparisons
/ˈfɛɹ/
1.n.an agenda of things to do
“they worked rapidly down the menu of reports”
2.n.the sum charged for riding in a public conveyance
3.n.a paying (taxi) passenger