Faired Or Fared? Here’s The Difference Explained (+10 Examples)

When two words are pronounced the same way but mean different things, we are dealing with homophones. “Faired” and “fared” are two examples that show you exactly this phenomenon. They both have different meanings, but they sound the same in speaking, and many people confuse them because of that.

Is It Faired Or Fared?

Faired should be used when you want the past tense of “fair” or talking about something joining together or smoothing out. Fared should be used when talking about how someone did with something, traveling, or something has happened with somebody. “Fared” is the most common of the two phrases to use.

Is It “Faired Well” Or “Fared Well”?

When we’re using the phrase “fared well,” it is only correct to spell it “fared well.” In this context, “fared” means to get along or do. So, if someone were to “fare well” doing an activity, that would be fine. However, the phrase “fair well” doesn’t hold any meaning because “fair” doesn’t mean anything close to what we need it to mean.

What Is The Meaning Of “Faired”?

As we stated above, “faired” holds a different meaning than most people realize. If you’re ever looking to use a word that sounds like “faired,” you’re almost always going to want to spell it “fared” to get it correct. “Fair” is basically just the past tense of “fair.” To be “fair,” something has to be just and equal, or (if you’re talking about looks) attractive. Saying “faired” about someone’s looks means they’ve gotten more attractive over time.

It’s important to understand this difference because it’ll help stop you from making a mistake at a point in the future. Very few native English speakers ever use the word “faired” because there are always better replacements to get their same point across, and it’s not worth accidentally making mistakes with the language rules.

5 Examples Of How To Use “Faired”

Let’s check out some examples of how we might use the past tense of “fair” in this manner. You won’t see it in any other regard, and it doesn’t come with its own special saying like “fared well” does. However, it’s still worth covering what examples you might see so you know how we might use the word in an example. Also, please pay attention to these sentences; they’re not sentences you’ll come by often in daily speaking or writing.

• They faired the wing of their airplane.
• We faired the wood until it was smooth.
• She’s faired over time.
• He has faired over the last year.
• They faired the walls to get rid of the lumps.

What Is The Meaning Of “Fared”?

Now, let’s look at the much more common of the two words. “Fared” comes with a few different meanings and is much more suitable when you’re using it in phrases like saying “fared well.” “Fared” in this sense means that someone or something has got along or done an activity. Including “well” after it shows that they got along with the activity positively and didn’t have any major problems with it.

“Fared” can also be related to being charged a fare (like a train ticket or bus ticket). It can also mean to perform something over a certain time period or to survive. We’ll almost always use “fared” over “faired,” and when we get to the example section next, you’ll see how much more likely you are to come across the examples with it in.

5 Examples Of How To Use “Fared”

Let’s look at some of the examples using “fared” in the sentences. In most of these examples, you’ll notice that we use the phrase “fared well” because it’s the most common way to see “fared” written in a sentence. We will include one brief example of using “fared” without the need for “well” after it, but it’s more likely you’ll see “fared well” instead of any other phrase.

• The staff fared well with the project.
• He fared well with the task.
• They fared the passengers before they could board the train.
• How have you fared with the medicine?
• Have you fared well with what we gave you?

What Is The Difference Between “Fair” And “Fare”?

We’ve touched on the difference between faired or fared, but now it’s time to look at the present tense form. To keep things simple, the differences between fair and fare are pretty much the same as their past tense counterparts. “Fair” means to keep something even or for someone to get more attractive. “Fare” means to charge someone money or to get along with something. Either way, they mean the same thing. The tenses are the only difference.

How To Remember If The Correct Spelling Is Faired Or Fared

So, what tips can we offer you to help you remember the correct spelling? Well, our tip is a pretty simple one. Basically, just remember that we don’t often (if ever) use the past tense of “fair” in a sentence. Many people will say “fared,” but very few people will say “faired” for any reason. Remember that we don’t use an “i” when saying “fared,” and you should be good to remember the spelling every time you need it!

It’s easy to get used to it when you make sure to drop the “i” each time. There isn’t a phrase or saying where “faired” fits into a sentence, whereas “fared well” fits as a phrase just fine. Make sure you learn these differences to help you better grasp the language rules!

Quiz: Have You Mastered The Faired Or Fared Grammar?

We’ll finish with a quiz to test your knowledge and see what you’ve learned from this article. We’ll include the answers at the end for you to check to see how you did as well!

1. She (A. faired / B. fared) well with the task.
2. My word, he’s (A. faired / B. fared) nicely.
3. We (A. faired / B. fared) well with the project, thanks for asking.
4. Have you (A. faired / B. fared) the walls like I asked?
5. How have you (A. faired / B. fared) lately?

Quiz Answers

1. B
2. A
3. B
4. A
5. B