Fare and fair are pronounced exactly the same and have many different meanings spanning different parts of speech, including nouns, adjectives, and verbs. This can make things very confusing. Is it fare well or farewell? And when you ask someone how things turned out, should you say How did you fare? or How did you fair?
In this article, we’ll break down the differences, provide lots of examples, and give you a handy guide that tells you which word to use depending on what you mean. Stick around to the end and see how you fare on the quiz!
⚡ Quick summary
Both fair and fare are commonly used as nouns: fair usually refers to an event; fare commonly refers to fees for rides or to a specific kind of food or entertainment. If you want a verb, you probably want fare, especially if it pertains to how things turn out. If you want an adjective, you always want fair, which can mean honest, proper, average, pale, and clear, among other things.
Should I use fair or fare?
Since there are so many different senses of fair and fare, we’ve created this handy guide that’s broken down by part of speech: noun, adjective, and verb uses. For each part of speech, we will tell you which word should be used for each meaning, plus some examples of each sense in use.
As a noun
Both fair and fare can be nouns, and both are quite common. But there are more senses of fare.
| meaning | fair or fare? | examples |
| an event with attractions or vendors | fair | county fair; book fair; job fair |
| the fee for a ride or ticket | fare | bus fare; train fare |
| the person who pays this fee; the rider | fare | My driver said I was his last fare of the night. |
| a particular kind of food | fare | pub fare; healthy fare; Italian fare |
| something offered for entertainment or consumption | fare | highbrow fare; It was mostly children’s fare. |
As an adjective
Only fair is used as an adjective.
| meaning | fair or fare? | examples |
| honest, equitable, and free from bias | fair | a fair decision; a fair trade; That’s not fair!; opposite: unfair |
| proper and according to the rules | fair | a fair contest; fair play |
| average | fair | a fair attempt; The food at that restaurant was just fair. |
| moderately large, ample | fair | fair income; fair portions |
| having pale skin and light hair | fair | I have fair skin, so I get sunburned easily. |
| attractive | fair | fair maiden; fair youths |
| of weather, nice or clear | fair | fair weather; fair skies |
| favorable, promising | fair | The conditions were fair for building. |
Speaking of fair skies, what’s the difference between weather and climate?
As a verb
Fare is much more commonly used as a verb. Fair can be used as a verb in several ways, but they are mostly very specific and not commonly used (many pertain to shipbuilding, for example).
| meaning | fair or fare? | examples |
| to get on or manage | fare | I hope you fared well at the conference. |
| to turn out or happen in the way specified | fare | I hope things fared well at the conference. |
Is it How did you fare? Or fair?
When you want to ask someone how something turned out for them, you want to say: How did you fare? As a verb, fare means “to experience the kind of fortune or treatment specified” (as in She fared poorly in the election) or “to happen or turn out in a certain way” (as in Things will fare better, you’ll see).
Fair well or fare well? Or farewell?
This somewhat less common use of fare meaning “to happen or turn out in a certain way” is typically paired with well as an adverb, as in I hope things fare well for him. The parting word farewell, which is used as a way of saying goodbye, is based on the verb phrase fare well and literally means “May you fare well”—in other words, “I hope you do well” or “I hope things go well for you.”
Fair can be used as a verb in several ways, so it’s possible for the phrase fair well to be used in specific contexts, but it’s not common and it’s not idiomatic like fare well is.
Examples of fair and fare used in a sentence
There are many, many uses of the words fair and fare. These examples can help you remember how to keep them straight:
- I had a great time at the county fair this year.
- Cab fare seems to get more expensive every year.The cab driver picked up three fares in quick succession.
- I’m a big fan of diner fare, especially late at night.
- The fare at the film festival included both classics and new releases.
- Most people agreed that it was a fair ruling by the judge.
- You agreed that the contest rules were fair.
- Business has been only fair recently, not great.
- My pay is quite fair; I have enough for my needs.
- Fair hair is easier to dye than dark hair.
- We’ve had a nice stretch of fair weather, but it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.
- The conditions are fair for outdoor activities today.
- How did you fare at the grocery store?
- I regret to announce that my attempt at painting did not fare well.
- I had heard the food at the Renaissance carnival was just average, and it was true: the fair fare was just fair, but the price was fair and so was the weather, and all in all we fared well before bidding farewell to the knights and fair maidens.
Take the quiz
We’ve all had our fair share of confusing words, but hopefully you have a good grasp on these two words. You can find out by seeing how you fare on this quick quiz on fair vs. fare.
