pes vs pic, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“pes” is a verb and “pic” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#43,402
“pes” frequency rank: #21,730
“pic” frequency rank: 65132
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	pes	pic
Definition	2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs pesen	Specht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pes and pic apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

pes

3 ch

pic

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pes is [peːs] while pic is [pik]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65132, 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]. pic is at rank #21,730, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pik].

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 65132, this pair ranks #617,431 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pes vs pic

Shared letters: p. Private to "pes": es. Private to "pic": ci.

"pes" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "pic" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

pes#43,402

pic#21,730

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pes" and "pic" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pes" is a verb and "pic" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "pes" or "pic"?

"pic" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,730 in our German list, against #43,402 for "pes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pes vs pic

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “pes”; for a noun, it's “pic”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pes” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable