PervspHConfusable pair

Quick tell: Per is a name, pH is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Per” is a name and “pH” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,203
“Per” frequency rank
#11,648
“pH” frequency rank
14851
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Per pH
Definition Pedro. Nombre propio de hombre. Cuantificador de acidez o de basicidad (alcalinidad) de soluciones químicas, referido a iones de hidronio (H₃O)⁺. Consta de una escala de cero a catorce donde el valor siete es neutro, cifras inferiores corresponden a substancias ácidas, y las superiores, a básicas (alcalinas).

Where the eye mixes Per and pH

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

3 ch
Per
2 ch
pH

Visual trap between Per and pH

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Per is [ˈpæːr] while pH is [ˈf]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14851, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Per is recorded at frequency rank #3,203, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈpæːr]. pH is at rank #11,648, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈf].

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 14851, this pair ranks #282,484 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Per vs pH

Shared letters: p. Private to "Per": er. Private to "pH": h.

"Per" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "pH" · 2 letters · shape CC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Per" and "pH" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Per" is a name and "pH" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "Per" or "pH" show up more?
"Per" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,203 in our Spanish list, against #11,648 for "pH". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Per" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "pH" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #282,484 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Per" and "pH" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pH vs PRC". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #282,484 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