Which to use
“peine” is a noun and “peins” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #483
- “peine” frequency rank
- #48,098
- “peins” frequency rank
- 48581
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | peine | peins |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Punition, sanction ou châtiment infligé(e) pour une faute commise, pour un acte jugé répréhensible ou coupable, et en particulier punition pour une infraction à la loi et prononcée par un jugement. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de peindre. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set peine and peins apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: peine is \pɛn\ while peins is \pɛ̃\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “peine” becomes s in “peins”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48581, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
peine is recorded at frequency rank #483, classified as anoun, pronounced \pɛn\. peins is at rank #48,098, tagged as averb, pronounced \pɛ̃\.
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 48581, this pair ranks #177,768 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of peine vs peins
Shared letters: einp. Private to "peine": -. Private to "peins": s.
"peine" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "peins" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "peine" and "peins" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "peine" or "peins"?
Remembering peine vs peins
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “peine”; for a verb, it's “peins”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “peine” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable