Which to use
“Pilger” and “Pilzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,253
- “Pilger” frequency rank
- #21,731
- “Pilzen” frequency rank
- 37984
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pilger | Pilzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gläubiger, der aus religiösen Gründen in die Fremde geht oder Pilgerorte aufsucht | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Pilz |
Where the eye mixes Pilger and Pilzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Pilger with Pilzen
A purely visual mix-up. Pilger ([ˈpɪlɡɐ]) and Pilzen ([ˈpɪlt͡sn̩]) 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 37984, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pilger is recorded at frequency rank #16,253, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpɪlɡɐ]. Pilzen is at rank #21,731, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpɪlt͡sn̩].
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 37984, this pair ranks #1,575,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Pilger vs Pilzen
Shared letters: eilp. Private to "Pilger": gr. Private to "Pilzen": nz.
"Pilger" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Pilzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Pilger" and "Pilzen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Pilger" or "Pilzen"?
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 "Pilger" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Pilzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,575,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pilger" and "Pilzen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "picken vs Pilzen". 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 #1,575,921 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.