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 eye mixes Pein and Preis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Pein runs 4 letters (CVVC) against Preis's 5 (CCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Pein with Preis
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Pein" and "Preis" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Pein" or "Preis" show up more?
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 "Pein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Preis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,255,527 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pein" and "Preis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pein vs pig". 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 #1,255,527 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.