Which to use
“pas” is a noun and “play” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,718
- “pas” frequency rank
- #3,206
- “play” frequency rank
- 13924
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pas | play |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schritt, Tritt | spielen |
Where the eye mixes pas and play
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between pas and play
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pas is [pa] while play is [pleɪ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13924, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pas is recorded at frequency rank #10,718, classified as anoun, pronounced [pa]. play is at rank #3,206, tagged as averb, pronounced [pleɪ].
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 13924, this pair ranks #1,954,756 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pas vs play
Shared letters: ap. Private to "pas": s. Private to "play": ly.
"pas" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "play" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- play ← lpay · paly · playy · pllay · plya · pplay
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pas" and "play" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pas" or "play"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "play" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,954,756 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pas" and "play" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pas 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 #1,954,756 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.