pasvspeiConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#11,643
“pas” frequency rank
#45,496
“pei” frequency rank
57139
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pas pei
Definition Paso. Decimoséptima letra del alfabeto hebreo

Where the eye mixes pas and pei

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
pas
3 ch
pei

Visual trap between pas and pei

A purely visual mix-up. pas ([ˈpas]) and pei ([ˈpej]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57139, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pas is recorded at frequency rank #11,643, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpas]. pei is at rank #45,496, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpej].

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 57139, this pair ranks #71,683 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of pas vs pei

Shared letters: p. Private to "pas": as. Private to "pei": ei.

"pas" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "pei" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pas" and "pei" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpas] versus [ˈpej]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pas" or "pei"?
"pas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,643 in our Spanish list, against #45,496 for "pei". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "pas" and "pei" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "pas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "pei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #71,683 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "pas" and "pei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pei vs prey". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #71,683 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