Which to use
“Pils” is a noun and “pries” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,448
- “Pils” frequency rank
- #44,147
- “pries” frequency rank
- 71595
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pils | pries |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | kurz für „Bier nach Pilsener Brauart“, ein untergäriges Bier mit erhöhtem Hopfengehalt | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs preisen |
Where the eye mixes Pils and pries
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Pils with pries
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Pils is [pɪls] while pries is [pʁiːs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71595, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pils is recorded at frequency rank #27,448, classified as anoun, pronounced [pɪls]. pries is at rank #44,147, tagged as averb, pronounced [pʁiːs].
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 71595, this pair ranks #412,321 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Pils vs pries
Shared letters: ips. Private to "Pils": l. Private to "pries": er.
"Pils" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "pries" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pils" for "pries" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Pils" or "pries"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Pils" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pries" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #412,321 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pils" and "pries" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pries vs pros". 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 #412,321 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.