Which to use
“pec” is a noun and “peck” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,251
- “pec” frequency rank
- #15,877
- “peck” frequency rank
- 63128
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pec | peck |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The pectoralis major muscle. | To strike or pierce with the beak or bill (of a bird). |
Letter map: pec vs peck
Shared letters muted; letters that set pec and peck apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.
Grammar separator: pec vs peck
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: pec is anoun and peckaverb. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “pec” sits inside “peck”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63128, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pec is recorded at frequency rank #47,251, classified as anoun. peck is at rank #15,877, tagged as averb, pronounced /pɛk/.
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 63128, this pair ranks #84,714 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pec vs peck
Shared letters: cep. Private to "pec": -. Private to "peck": k.
"pec" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "peck" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- peck ← epck · pcek · pecck · peckk · pekc · ppeck
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pec" and "peck" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "pec" vs "peck" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
You've compared "pec" and "peck". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "pec" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "peck" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #84,714 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pec" and "peck" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pec vs PPA". 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 #84,714 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.