Which to use
“Pause” and “pays” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,984
- “Pause” frequency rank
- #41,381
- “pays” frequency rank
- 43365
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pause | pays |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Unterbrechung einer Tätigkeit | Plural des Substantivs pay |
Where the eye mixes Pause and pays
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Pause vs pays
A purely visual mix-up. Pause ([ˈpaʊ̯zə]) and pays ([peɪz]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43365, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pause is recorded at frequency rank #1,984, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpaʊ̯zə]. pays is at rank #41,381, tagged as anoun, pronounced [peɪz].
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 43365, this pair ranks #1,420,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Pause vs pays
Shared letters: aps. Private to "Pause": eu. Private to "pays": y.
"Pause" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "pays" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pause" for "pays" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Pause" or "pays"?
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 "Pause" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pays" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,420,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pause" and "pays" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pays 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 #1,420,398 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.