paysvsPilsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“pays” and “Pils” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#41,381
“pays” frequency rank
#27,448
“Pils” frequency rank
68829
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pays Pils
Definition Plural des Substantivs pay kurz für „Bier nach Pilsener Brauart“, ein untergäriges Bier mit erhöhtem Hopfengehalt

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
pays
4 ch
Pils

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pays ([peɪz]) and Pils ([pɪls]) 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 68829, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pays is recorded at frequency rank #41,381, classified as anoun, pronounced [peɪz]. Pils is at rank #27,448, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pɪls].

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 68829, this pair ranks #495,573 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of pays vs Pils

Shared letters: ps. Private to "pays": ay. Private to "Pils": il.

"pays" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "Pils" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • paysapys · pasy · payss · payys · ppays · pyas
  • Pilsipls · pills · pilss · pisl · plis · ppils

Frequency comparison

pays#41,381
Pils#27,448

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pays" and "Pils" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peɪz] versus [pɪls]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pays" or "Pils"?
"Pils" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,448 in our German list, against #41,381 for "pays". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pays vs Pils

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pays” 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