Which to use
“Pickel” and “Pike” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,697
- “Pickel” frequency rank
- #32,209
- “Pike” frequency rank
- 52906
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pickel | Pike |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eitrig entzündete Erhebung der Haut | eine Stangenwaffe von Fußsoldaten |
Where the eye mixes Pickel and Pike
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Pickel runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Pike's 4 (CVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Pickel vs Pike
A purely visual mix-up. Pickel ([ˈpɪkl̩]) and Pike ([ˈpiːkə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52906, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pickel is recorded at frequency rank #20,697, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpɪkl̩]. Pike is at rank #32,209, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpiːkə].
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 52906, this pair ranks #1,078,681 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Pickel vs Pike
Shared letters: eikp. Private to "Pickel": cl. Private to "Pike": -.
"Pickel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Pike" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pickel" for "Pike" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Pickel" vs "Pike" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Pickel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Pike" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,078,681 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pickel" and "Pike" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pig vs Pike". 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 #1,078,681 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.