Which to use
“pare” is a verb and “perf” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,620
- “pare” frequency rank
- #42,815
- “perf” frequency rank
- 80435
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pare | perf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To remove the outer covering or skin of something with a cutting device, typically a knife. | Abbreviation of perforated; when followed by a number, eg, perf 14, this indicates the number of perforations per two centimetres. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pare and perf apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pare is /pɛə/ while perf is /pɜː(ɹ)f/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80435, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pare is recorded at frequency rank #37,620, classified as averb, pronounced /pɛə/. perf is at rank #42,815, tagged as anadj, pronounced /pɜː(ɹ)f/.
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 80435, this pair ranks #19,806 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pare vs perf
Shared letters: epr. Private to "pare": a. Private to "perf": f.
"pare" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "perf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pare" and "perf" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pare" or "perf"?
Remembering pare vs perf
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “pare”; for an adjective, it's “perf”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pare” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable