Which to use
“pick” and “piss” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,895
- “pick” frequency rank
- #37,133
- “piss” frequency rank
- 52028
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pick | piss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs picken | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs pissen |
Where the eye mixes pick and piss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between pick and piss
A purely visual mix-up. pick ([pɪk]) and piss ([pɪs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52028, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pick is recorded at frequency rank #14,895, classified as averb, pronounced [pɪk]. piss is at rank #37,133, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɪs].
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 52028, this pair ranks #1,112,734 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pick vs piss
Shared letters: ip. Private to "pick": ck. Private to "piss": s.
"pick" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "piss" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pick" for "piss" ever safe?
Which is more common, "pick" or "piss"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pick" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "piss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,112,734 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pick" and "piss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "piss 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 #1,112,734 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.