Which to use
“pace” and “pays” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,216
- “pace” frequency rank
- #41,381
- “pays” frequency rank
- 74597
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pace | pays |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der Frieden, der Friede | Plural des Substantivs pay |
Where the eye mixes pace and pays
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. pace (CVCV) and pays (CVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between pace and pays
A purely visual mix-up. pace ([ˈpaːt͡ʃe]) and pays ([peɪz]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74597, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pace is recorded at frequency rank #33,216, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpaːt͡ʃe]. pays is at rank #41,381, tagged as anoun, pronounced [peɪz].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 74597, this pair ranks #329,287 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pace vs pays
Shared letters: ap. Private to "pace": ce. Private to "pays": sy.
"pace" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "pays" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pace" for "pays" ever safe?
Frequency check: "pace" vs "pays" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pace" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pays" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #329,287 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pace" and "pays" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pays vs PMS". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #329,287 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.