pedir vs pei, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“pedir” is a verb and “pei” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,117
“pedir” frequency rank: #45,496
“pei” frequency rank: 46613
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	pedir	pei
Definition	Dirigirse a una persona para instarla a hacer o dar determinada cosa.	Decimoséptima letra del alfabeto hebreo

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pedir and pei apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch

pedir

3 ch

pei

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pedir is [peˈð̞iɾ] while pei is [ˈpej]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46613, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pedir is recorded at frequency rank #1,117, classified as averb, pronounced [peˈð̞iɾ]. 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 46613, this pair ranks #124,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pedir vs pei

Shared letters: eip. Private to "pedir": dr. Private to "pei": -.

"pedir" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "pei" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Known mistypes of this pair

pedir ← epdir · pdeir · peddir · pedirr · pedri · peidr · ppedir

Frequency comparison

pedir#1,117

pei#45,496

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pedir" and "pei" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pedir" is a verb and "pei" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "pedir" or "pei"?

"pedir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,117 in our Spanish list, against #45,496 for "pei". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering pedir vs pei

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “pedir”; for a noun, it's “pei”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pedir” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable