piesvspiresWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,492
“pies” frequency rank
#47,328
“pires” frequency rank
48820
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pies pires
Definition Segunda persona del singular (vos) del presente de subjuntivo de piar. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de pirar o de pirarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pies and pires apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
pies
5 ch
pires

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pies ([ˈpjes]) and pires ([ˈpiɾes]) 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 48820, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pies is recorded at frequency rank #1,492, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpjes]. pires is at rank #47,328, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpiɾes].

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 48820, this pair ranks #112,340 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pies vs pires

Shared letters: eips. Private to "pies": -. Private to "pires": r.

"pies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "pires" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • piesipes · peis · piess · pise · ppies
  • piresipres · piers · piress · pirres · pirse · ppires · pries

Frequency comparison

pies#1,492
pires#47,328

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pies" and "pires" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpjes] versus [ˈpiɾes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pies" or "pires"?
"pies" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,492 in our Spanish list, against #47,328 for "pires". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering pies vs pires

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pies” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list