English 
español 
française 
italiano 
deutsche 
日本語 
polski 
česky 
svenska 
Türkçe 
Nederlands 
Why "faired poorly" fares poorly: an error explained
Lloyd Cooper 30/09/2024, 19:17English.me team member
What kind of error is it?
Spelling error
Why do people make this mistake?
The error occurs because "faired" is a homophone of "fared". People often confuse homophones, as they sound identical but have different meanings and spellings. In this case, "faired" is a form of the word "fair", which means light in color or equitable, whereas "fared" is the correct past tense of "fare", meaning to perform or get along.
What is correct?
The correct term is "fared poorly", using "fared" as the past tense of "fare".
Examples of correct usage
- She fared poorly on the exam because she didn't study.
- The athlete fared poorly in the competition due to an injury.
- During the storm, the town fared poorly, suffering significant damage.
Recommended posts in 
Grammar
Why "a work out" needs a workout in grammar
People often confuse the noun "workout" with the verb or ... Learn more →
Why "is loathe to" misspeaks the intention
People often confuse the words "loathe" and "loath" because they ... Learn more →
What’s the grammatical error in had know?
People often make this error due to confusion between "know" ... Learn more →
Understanding why "for awhile" is incorrect
The error occurs because "awhile" and "a while" sound similar ... Learn more →