Fairy vs The Words
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Fairy leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #244, ahead of The Words at #7,655. Over the last 7 days Fairy held its place and The Words slipped 72 places. Fairy has the largest install base, roughly 100× the next: 5K+ active installs against 50+ for The Words. Downloads this week: Fairy 112 and The Words 7.
| Metric | Fairy | The Words |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #244 ▬ | #7,655 ▼ 72 |
| Active installs | 5K+ | 50+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 112 | 7 |
| Rating | 4.6★ (15) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Feb 26, 2026 | Apr 10, 2025 |
| Current version | 1.4.3 | 1.1.1 |
| Best rank on record | #238 | #7,320 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Oct 2020 | Jan 2021 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Fairy or The Words?
By active installs, Fairy: 5K+ sites run it against 50+ for The Words, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 23, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Fairy or The Words?
Fairy, at #244 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with The Words at #7,655. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Fairy a block theme or a classic theme? And The Words?
Fairy is a classic theme, The Words is a classic theme. Block themes are built for the Site Editor; classic themes use the Customizer and widget areas.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each theme’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the themes have moved over time rather than a single day.