"Faze" = to disturb or disconcert; "phase" = a stage or period, or to introduce gradually.
To disturb, unsettle, or disconcert someone emotionally. Almost always used in the negative: "not fazed" (unperturbed).
Nothing seemed to faze her — she handled every crisis with calm.
He was not fazed by the criticism and continued working on his project.
The turbulence during the flight did not faze the experienced pilot at all.
Noun: a stage, period, or step in a process. Verb (with in/out): to introduce or eliminate gradually ("phase in" / "phase out").
The moon goes through different phases throughout the month.
The company plans to phase out its older product line by the end of next year.
He went through a rebellious phase during his teenage years.
Common mistake
Writing "phase" when you mean "faze" is very common. "It does not phase me" should be "It does not faze me". The confusion arises because "phase" is much more common than "faze" and people write the word they recognize more easily.
Trick to remember it
"Faze" = emotional disturbance (think of "daze" — stunned — they rhyme and have similar meaning). "Phase" = stage of a process (same "ph" as "phenomenon" or "physics" — things with measurable stages). Quick test: if you can replace with "disturb" or "unsettle" — faze. If you can replace with "stage" or "step" — phase.
Quick rule
Faze = to disturb or disconcert (always emotional, always people). Phase = a stage or period, or "phase in/out" (introduce/eliminate gradually).
Did you know?
"Faze" is a relatively rare word — so rare that many native English speakers know it only in the construction "not fazed". Its scarcity is exactly why people replace it with "phase", which sounds the same but looks more familiar.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The unexpected question did not _____ the experienced politician, who answered smoothly.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The government announced it would _____ out coal power plants over the next decade.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Faze = to disturb or disconcert (always emotional, always people). Phase = a stage or period, or "phase in/out" (introduce/eliminate gradually).
Writing "phase" when you mean "faze" is very common. "It does not phase me" should be "It does not faze me". The confusion arises because "phase" is much more common than "faze" and people write the word they recognize more easily.
"Faze" = emotional disturbance (think of "daze" — stunned — they rhyme and have similar meaning). "Phase" = stage of a process (same "ph" as "phenomenon" or "physics" — things with measurable stages). Quick test: if you can replace with "disturb" or "unsettle" — faze. If you can replace with "stage" or "step" — phase.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy