“Faired poorly” or “fared poorly”: which is correct?

Why people get it wrong

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.

Examples with fared poorly

• 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.