Which to use
“Páez” is a name and “pays” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,259
- “Páez” frequency rank
- #42,064
- “pays” frequency rank
- 59323
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Páez | pays |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Apellido. | País. |
Where the eye mixes Páez and pays
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. Páez and pays follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Páez with pays
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Páez is [ˈpaes] while pays is /pɛi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59323, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Páez is recorded at frequency rank #17,259, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈpaes]. pays is at rank #42,064, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɛi/.
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 59323, this pair ranks #63,047 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Páez vs pays
Shared letters: p. Private to "Páez": ezá. Private to "pays": asy.
"Páez" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "pays" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- pays ← apys · pasy · payss · payys · ppays · pyas
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Páez" and "pays" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Páez" or "pays"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Páez" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pays" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #63,047 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Páez" and "pays" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pa'l vs pays". 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 #63,047 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.