Which to use
“Pik” and “Pils” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,047
- “Pik” frequency rank
- #27,448
- “Pils” frequency rank
- 69495
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pik | Pils |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Farbe im französischen Kartenblatt mit einem schwarzen Lindenblatt als Symbol | kurz für „Bier nach Pilsener Brauart“, ein untergäriges Bier mit erhöhtem Hopfengehalt |
Where the eye mixes Pik and Pils
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Pik 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.
Why the eye confuses Pik with Pils
A purely visual mix-up. Pik ([piːk]) and Pils ([pɪls]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69495, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pik is recorded at frequency rank #42,047, classified as anoun, pronounced [piːk]. 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 69495, this pair ranks #474,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Pik vs Pils
Shared letters: ip. Private to "Pik": k. Private to "Pils": ls.
"Pik" · 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 "Pik" and "Pils" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Pik" or "Pils" show up more?
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 "Pik" 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 #474,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pik" and "Pils" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pik 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 #474,850 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.