Which to use
“pay” and “Pik” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,338
- “pay” frequency rank
- #42,047
- “Pik” frequency rank
- 52385
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pay | Pik |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Geld, das man für eine Arbeitsleistung (meist regelmäßig) bekommt | Farbe im französischen Kartenblatt mit einem schwarzen Lindenblatt als Symbol |
Where the eye mixes pay and Pik
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between pay and Pik
A purely visual mix-up. pay ([peɪ]) and Pik ([piːk]) 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 52385, 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]. Pik is at rank #42,047, tagged as anoun, pronounced [piːk].
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 52385, this pair ranks #1,098,979 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pay vs Pik
Shared letters: p. Private to "pay": ay. Private to "Pik": ik.
"pay" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "Pik" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pay" for "Pik" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "pay" or "Pik" show up more?
What to do next
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 "Pik" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,098,979 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pay" and "Pik" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pik vs PMS". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,098,979 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.