Which to use
“pak” is an adverb and “pes” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,218
- “pak” frequency rank
- #43,402
- “pes” frequency rank
- 76620
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pak | pes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dann, daraufhin | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs pesen |
Where the eye mixes pak and pes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. pak and pes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between pak and pes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pak is [pak] while pes is [peːs]. 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 (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76620, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pak is recorded at frequency rank #33,218, classified as anadv, pronounced [pak]. pes is at rank #43,402, tagged as averb, pronounced [peːs].
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 76620, this pair ranks #279,637 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pak vs pes
Shared letters: p. Private to "pak": ak. Private to "pes": es.
"pak" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "pes" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pak" for "pes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "pak" vs "pes" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pak" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #279,637 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pak" and "pes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pes vs PMS". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #279,637 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.