Which to use
“pah” is an intj and “per” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,274
- “pah” frequency rank
- #673
- “per” frequency rank
- 29947
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pah | per |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ausdruck für Geringschätzung oder Verachtung | mittels |
Where the eye mixes pah and per
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: pah vs per
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pah is [paː] while per is [pɛʁ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29947, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pah is recorded at frequency rank #29,274, classified as anintj, pronounced [paː]. per is at rank #673, tagged as aprep, pronounced [pɛʁ].
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 29947, this pair ranks #1,757,243 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pah vs per
Shared letters: p. Private to "pah": ah. Private to "per": er.
"pah" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "per" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pah" for "per" ever safe?
Frequency check: "pah" vs "per" - 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 "pah" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "per" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,757,243 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pah" and "per" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pah vs PMS". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,757,243 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.