# pair vs past

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### pair
*noun · IPA /pɛə/ · frequency rank #1,955*
Two alike or identical things taken together; often followed by of.

### past
*noun · IPA /pɑːst/ · frequency rank #437*
The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pair-vs-past