Which to use
“pal” and “pes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,653
- “pal” frequency rank
- #43,402
- “pes” frequency rank
- 67055
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pal | pes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs palen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs pesen |
Where the eye mixes pal and pes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. pal and pes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: pal vs pes
A purely visual mix-up. pal ([paːl]) and pes ([peːs]) 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 67055, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pal is recorded at frequency rank #23,653, classified as averb, pronounced [paːl]. 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 67055, this pair ranks #552,725 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pal vs pes
Shared letters: p. Private to "pal": al. Private to "pes": es.
"pal" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "pes" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pal" for "pes" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "pal" or "pes" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "pal" and "pes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "pal" 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 #552,725 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pal" and "pes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pes vs PMS". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #552,725 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.