Which to use
“pes” is a verb and “Pils” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,402
- “pes” frequency rank
- #27,448
- “Pils” frequency rank
- 70850
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pes | Pils |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs pesen | kurz für „Bier nach Pilsener Brauart“, ein untergäriges Bier mit erhöhtem Hopfengehalt |
Where the eye mixes pes and Pils
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. pes runs 3 letters (CVC) against Pils's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between pes and Pils
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pes is [peːs] while Pils is [pɪls]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70850, 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]. Pils is at rank #27,448, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pɪls].
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 70850, this pair ranks #434,034 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pes vs Pils
Shared letters: ps. Private to "pes": e. Private to "Pils": il.
"pes" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Pils" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Pils ← ipls · pills · pilss · pisl · plis · ppils
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pes" and "Pils" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pes" or "Pils"?
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 "pes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Pils" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #434,034 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pes" and "Pils" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pes vs PMS". 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 #434,034 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.