Which to use
“pay” is a noun and “pes” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,338
- “pay” frequency rank
- #43,402
- “pes” frequency rank
- 53740
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pay | pes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Geld, das man für eine Arbeitsleistung (meist regelmäßig) bekommt | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs pesen |
Where the eye mixes pay and pes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between pay and pes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pay is [peɪ] 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53740, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pay is recorded at frequency rank #10,338, classified as anoun, pronounced [peɪ]. 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 53740, this pair ranks #1,046,147 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pay vs pes
Shared letters: p. Private to "pay": ay. Private to "pes": es.
"pay" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "pes" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pay" and "pes" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pay" or "pes"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pay" 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 #1,046,147 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pay" and "pes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pes vs PMS". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,046,147 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.