ppm vs PS, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“ppm” and “PS” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#40,761
“ppm” frequency rank: #1,933
“PS” frequency rank: 42694
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	ppm	PS
Definition	Mengeneinheit/Quotient, die die Konzentration eines Stoffs in einem anderen Stoff angibt; für Englisch parts per million, für Anzahl Teilchen in einer Million Teilchen; 1 ppm = 0,001 ‰ = 0,0001 %; Veranschaulichung: 1 ppm = etwa 5 Wassertropfen (á 0,05 ml) auf eine Badewanne mit Wasser (á 250 l)	Pferdestärke (veraltete Einheit der Leistung)

Where the eye mixes ppm and PS

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch

ppm

2 ch

Why the eye confuses ppm with PS

A purely visual mix-up. ppm ([peːpeːˈʔɛm]) and PS ([peːˈʔɛs]) 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 42694, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ppm is recorded at frequency rank #40,761, classified as anabbrev, pronounced [peːpeːˈʔɛm]. PS is at rank #1,933, tagged as anabbrev, pronounced [peːˈʔɛs].

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 42694, this pair ranks #1,441,489 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ppm vs PS

Shared letters: p. Private to "ppm": m. Private to "PS": s.

"ppm" · 3 letters · shape CCC · "PS" · 2 letters · shape CC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ppm" and "PS" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([peːpeːˈʔɛm] versus [peːˈʔɛs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

In ordinary German text, does "ppm" or "PS" show up more?

"PS" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,933 in our German list, against #40,761 for "ppm". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "ppm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
Full dictionary entry for "PS" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
This pair ranks #1,441,489 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
"ppm" and "PS" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "PMS vs ppm". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,441,489 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.