Which to use
“Pier” and “Pike” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,024
- “Pier” frequency rank
- #32,209
- “Pike” frequency rank
- 52233
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pier | Pike |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | massiver Hafendamm | eine Stangenwaffe von Fußsoldaten |
Where the eye mixes Pier and Pike
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Pier with Pike
A purely visual mix-up. Pier ([piːɐ̯]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52233, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pier is recorded at frequency rank #20,024, classified as anoun, pronounced [piːɐ̯]. 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 52233, this pair ranks #1,104,854 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Pier vs Pike
Shared letters: eip. Private to "Pier": r. Private to "Pike": k.
"Pier" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Pike" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pier" for "Pike" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Pier" vs "Pike" - which ranks higher?
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 "Pier" 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 #1,104,854 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pier" 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 #1,104,854 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.