pervsPferdWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: per is a preposition, Pferd is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“per” is a preposition and “Pferd” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#673
“per” frequency rank
#3,066
“Pferd” frequency rank
3739
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature per Pferd
Definition mittels ein Haustier, Nutztier und Reittier, das Hauspferd

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
per
5 ch
Pferd

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

per and Pferd form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3739, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

per is recorded at frequency rank #673, classified as aprep, pronounced [pɛʁ]. Pferd is at rank #3,066, tagged as anoun, pronounced [p͡feːɐ̯t].

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 3739, this pair ranks #1,999,489 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

per#673
Pferd#3,066

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "per" and "Pferd" be used interchangeably?
No, "per" and "Pferd" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering per vs Pferd

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “per”; for a noun, it's “Pferd”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “per” 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