Which to use
“peinlich” and “preislich” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,611
- “peinlich” frequency rank
- #26,131
- “preislich” frequency rank
- 29742
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | peinlich | preislich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | beschämend, unangenehm | den Preis betreffend; im Preis |
Where the eye mixes peinlich and preislich
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. peinlich runs 8 letters (CVVCCVCC) against preislich's 9 (CCVVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between peinlich and preislich
A purely visual mix-up. peinlich ([ˈpaɪ̯nˌlɪç]) and preislich ([ˈpʁaɪ̯sˌlɪç]) 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 29742, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
peinlich is recorded at frequency rank #3,611, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈpaɪ̯nˌlɪç]. preislich is at rank #26,131, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈpʁaɪ̯sˌlɪç].
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 29742, this pair ranks #1,761,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of peinlich vs preislich
Shared letters: cehilp. Private to "peinlich": n. Private to "preislich": rs.
"peinlich" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC · "preislich" · 9 letters · shape CCVVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "peinlich" for "preislich" ever safe?
Which is more common, "peinlich" or "preislich"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "peinlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "preislich" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,761,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "peinlich" and "preislich" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "peinlich vs peinliches". 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 #1,761,157 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.