Which to use
“pes” is a verb and “peu” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,402
- “pes” frequency rank
- #40,134
- “peu” frequency rank
- 83536
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pes | peu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs pesen | der Fuß; der unterste Abschnitt der Beine der Wirbeltiere, bei den Primaten und dem Menschen nur der beiden hinteren/unteren Extremitäten |
Where the eye mixes pes and peu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. pes (CVC) and peu (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between pes and peu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pes is [peːs] while peu is [pɛw]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - s in “pes” becomes u in “peu”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83536, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pes is recorded at frequency rank #43,402, classified as averb, pronounced [peːs]. peu is at rank #40,134, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pɛw].
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 83536, this pair ranks #138,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pes vs peu
Shared letters: ep. Private to "pes": s. Private to "peu": u.
"pes" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "peu" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pes" for "peu" ever safe?
Frequency check: "pes" vs "peu" - which ranks higher?
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 "pes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "peu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #138,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pes" and "peu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pes vs PMS". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #138,311 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.