PassvspesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Pass is a noun, pes is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Pass” is a noun and “pes” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,315
“Pass” frequency rank
#43,402
“pes” frequency rank
45717
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Pass pes
Definition Dokument, das für Auslandsreisen erforderlich ist, falls es zwischen dem Heimatland und dem Zielland keine Sondervereinbarungen gibt; Reisepass 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs pesen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Pass and pes apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Pass
3 ch
pes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Pass and pes form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45717, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Pass is recorded at frequency rank #2,315, classified as anoun, pronounced [pas]. 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 45717, this pair ranks #1,343,569 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

Pass#2,315
pes#43,402

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Pass" and "pes" be used interchangeably?
No, "Pass" and "pes" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering Pass vs pes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Pass”; for a verb, it's “pes”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Pass” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list