Which to use
“pen” is a noun and “per” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,441
- “pen” frequency rank
- #673
- “per” frequency rank
- 9114
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pen | per |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der Füller, Schreibstift | mittels |
Where the eye mixes pen and per
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pen with per
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pen is [pɛn] while per is [pɛʁ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “pen” becomes r in “per”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9114, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pen is recorded at frequency rank #8,441, classified as anoun, pronounced [pɛn]. per is at rank #673, tagged as aprep, pronounced [pɛʁ].
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 9114, this pair ranks #1,981,408 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pen vs per
Shared letters: ep. Private to "pen": n. Private to "per": r.
"pen" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "per" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pen" and "per" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "pen" or "per"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "per" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,981,408 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pen" and "per" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pen vs PMS". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,981,408 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.