packvspaiTell them apart

Which to use

“pack” and “pai” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,510
“pack” frequency rank
#28,489
“pai” frequency rank
37999
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pack pai
Definition Paquete, envoltorio en el que se vende algún producto. (coloquial) Tarta, quiche

Where the eye mixes pack and pai

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
pack
3 ch
pai

Why the eye confuses pack with pai

A purely visual mix-up. pack ([ˈpak]) and pai ([ˈpɑ̝i̯]) 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 37999, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pack is recorded at frequency rank #9,510, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpak]. pai is at rank #28,489, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpɑ̝i̯].

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 37999, this pair ranks #172,363 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pack vs pai

Shared letters: ap. Private to "pack": ck. Private to "pai": i.

"pack" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "pai" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • packapck · pacck · packk · pakc · pcak · ppack

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "pack" for "pai" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpak] versus [ˈpɑ̝i̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "pack" vs "pai" - which ranks higher?
"pack" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,510 in our Spanish list, against #28,489 for "pai". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "pack" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "pai" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #172,363 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "pack" and "pai" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pai vs PRC". 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 #172,363 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list