confess vs fess

confess

verb
  • To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed. 

  • To hear or receive such a confession of sins from. 

  • To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in. 

  • To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution. 

  • To disclose or reveal. 

fess

verb
  • To confess; to admit. 

adj
  • Of animals, bad-tempered, fierce. 

  • Lively; active; strong. 

  • Proud; conceited. 

noun
  • A horizontal band across the middle of the shield. 

How often have the words confess and fess occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )