Giles' blog

Long S Google Books searches

This page shows a large (but not exhaustive) list of the words in the English language which could be mistaken for other words if they were written in the old-fashioned style where a lot of the time the letter "s" would be written by something that looks more like a modern "f". Each word-pair links to a Google Ngram Viewer graph showing their respective popularities over time.

See here for the background.

With a bit of help from the Ispell dictionary list from here and this Python script.

• after vs aster
• afters vs asters
• buffing vs bussing
• cafe vs case
• cafes vs cases
• chafe vs chase
• chafer vs chaser
• chafing vs chasing
• chefs vs chess
• confider vs consider
• cuffed vs cussed
• fable vs sable
• fables vs sables
• fag vs sag
• fags vs sags
• fail vs sail
• failed vs sailed
• failing vs sailing
• fails vs sails
• faint vs saint
• fainted vs sainted
• faintly vs saintly
• faints vs saints
• fake vs sake
• faker vs saker
• fakes vs sakes
• falter vs salter
• falters vs salters
• fame vs same
• fang vs sang
• fat vs sat
• fate vs sate
• fated vs sated
• fates vs sates
• fating vs sating
• fear vs sear
• feared vs seared
• fearing vs searing
• fears vs sears
• feat vs seat
• feating vs seating
• feats vs seats
• fee vs see
• feed vs seed
• feeder vs seeder
• feeders vs seeders
• feeding vs seeding
• feedings vs seedings
• feeds vs seeds
• fees vs sees
• fell vs sell
• feller vs seller
• fellers vs sellers
• felling vs selling
• fells vs sells
• fetter vs setter
• fetters vs setters
• fever vs sever
• fevered vs severed
• fevering vs severing
• fevers vs severs
• few vs sew
• fewer vs sewer
• fews vs sews
• fickle vs sickle
• fight vs sight
• fighter vs sighter
• fighting vs sighting
• fights vs sights
• fill vs sill
• fills vs sills
• fin vs sin
• fin's vs sin's
• fine vs sine
• fines vs sines
• finger vs singer
• fingers vs singers
• fining vs sining
• fins vs sins
• fir vs sir
• fire vs sire
• fired vs sired
• fires vs sires
• firing vs siring
• fit vs sit
• fits vs sits
• fitter vs sitter
• fitter's vs sitter's
• fitters vs sitters
• fitting vs sitting
• fittings vs sittings
• fix vs six
• fixes vs sixes
• flab vs slab
• flap vs slap
• flapping vs slapping
• flaps vs slaps
• flash vs slash
• flashed vs slashed
• flasher vs slasher
• flashes vs slashes
• flashing vs slashing
• flat vs slat
• flats vs slats
• fled vs sled
• fleet vs sleet
• flew vs slew
• flick vs slick
• flicker vs slicker
• flicks vs slicks
• flier vs slier
• flight vs slight
• flights vs slights
• fling vs sling
• flinger vs slinger
• flinging vs slinging
• flings vs slings
• flip vs slip
• flips vs slips
• flit vs slit
• flits vs slits
• flop vs slop
• floppier vs sloppier
• floppiness vs sloppiness
• floppy vs sloppy
• flops vs slops
• flow vs slow
• flowed vs slowed
• flower vs slower
• flowing vs slowing
• flows vs slows
• flung vs slung
• fly vs sly
• foil vs soil
• foiled vs soiled
• foiling vs soiling
• foils vs soils
• fold vs sold
• folder vs solder
• folders vs solders
• foot vs soot
• fore vs sore
• forest vs sorest
• fort vs sort
• forts vs sorts
• fought vs sought
• foul vs soul
• fouled vs souled
• fouls vs souls
• found vs sound
• founded vs sounded
• founder vs sounder
• founding vs sounding
• founds vs sounds
• four vs sour
• fours vs sours
• fun vs sun
• funnier vs sunnier
• funniness vs sunniness
• funny vs sunny
• future vs suture
• futures vs sutures
• infect vs insect
• infects vs insects
• leafed vs leased
• leafing vs leasing
• left vs lest
• lift vs list
• lifted vs listed
• lifter vs lister
• lifters vs listers
• lifting vs listing
• lifts vs lists
• loft vs lost
• miffed vs missed
• miffing vs missing
• rafter vs raster
• rafters vs rasters
• refelling vs reselling
• refined vs resined
• refining vs resining
• resifted vs resisted
• sifter vs sister
• unfounded vs unsounded
• wafter vs waster
• wife vs wise
• wifely vs wisely

Python script

def frepls(word):
    if len(word) == 0:
        return ['']
    kids = frepls(word[1:])
    result = [word[0] + w for w in kids]
    if len(word) > 1 and word.startswith('s'):
        result += ['f' + w for w in kids]
    return result