Which to use
“pages” and “pays” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,199
- “pages” frequency rank
- #42,064
- “pays” frequency rank
- 78263
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pages | pays |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de page. | País. |
Where the eye mixes pages and pays
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. pages runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against pays's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses pages with pays
A purely visual mix-up. pages (/ˈpeɪdʒɪz/) and pays (/pɛi/) 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 78263, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pages is recorded at frequency rank #36,199, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpeɪdʒɪz/. 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 78263, this pair ranks #14,712 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pages vs pays
Shared letters: aps. Private to "pages": eg. Private to "pays": y.
"pages" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "pays" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pages" for "pays" ever safe?
Which is more common, "pages" 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 "pages" 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 #14,712 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pages" 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 #14,712 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.