Pein vs Preis, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#47,643
“Pein” frequency rank: #604
“Preis” frequency rank: 48247
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Pein	Preis
Definition	Schmerz, Qual	beim Erwerb einer Ware oder Dienstleistung zu zahlender Geldbetrag

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Pein and Preis apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch

Pein

5 ch

Preis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Pein ([paɪ̯n]) and Preis ([pʁaɪ̯s]) 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 48247, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Pein is recorded at frequency rank #47,643, classified as anoun, pronounced [paɪ̯n]. Preis is at rank #604, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pʁaɪ̯s].

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 48247, this pair ranks #1,255,527 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Pein vs Preis

Shared letters: eip. Private to "Pein": n. Private to "Preis": rs.

"Pein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Preis" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

Pein ← epin · peinn · peni · ppein
Preis ← peris · ppreis · preiss · presi · prreis · rpeis

Frequency comparison

Pein#47,643

Preis#604

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Pein" and "Preis" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([paɪ̯n] versus [pʁaɪ̯s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Pein" or "Preis"?

"Preis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #604 in our German list, against #47,643 for "Pein". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Pein vs Preis

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 “Pein” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable