Which to use
“perf” is an adjective and “pers” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,815
- “perf” frequency rank
- #36,278
- “pers” frequency rank
- 79093
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | perf | pers |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Abbreviation of perforated; when followed by a number, eg, perf 14, this indicates the number of perforations per two centimetres. | That which belongs to per, theirs (singular): possessive case of per, used in place of a noun. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set perf and pers apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: perf is anadjective and persapronoun. On the page they differ by a single letter - f in “perf” becomes s in “pers”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79093, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
perf is recorded at frequency rank #42,815, classified as anadj, pronounced /pɜː(ɹ)f/. pers is at rank #36,278, tagged as apron.
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 79093, this pair ranks #22,920 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of perf vs pers
Shared letters: epr. Private to "perf": f. Private to "pers": s.
"perf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "pers" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "perf" and "pers" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "perf" or "pers"?
Remembering perf vs pers
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “perf”; for a pronoun, it's “pers”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “perf” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable