Which to use
“pic” and “pis” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,593
- “pic” frequency rank
- #3,350
- “pis” frequency rank
- 8943
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pic | pis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Oiseau grimpeur se nourrissant de larves qu’il va chercher dans l’écorce en la frappant par des coups de bec répétés pour tester la résonance du bois (martèlement) ; communiquant également avec ses congénères par ce moyen (tambourinage) et creusant son nid dans un tronc d’arbre. | Mamelle de bête laitière (vache, brebis, etc.). |
Where the eye mixes pic and pis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pic with pis
A purely visual mix-up. pic (\pik\) and pis (\pi\) 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 a single letter - c in “pic” becomes s in “pis”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8943, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pic is recorded at frequency rank #5,593, classified as anoun, pronounced \pik\. pis is at rank #3,350, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pi\.
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 8943, this pair ranks #418,329 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pic vs pis
Shared letters: ip. Private to "pic": c. Private to "pis": s.
"pic" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "pis" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pic" and "pis" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "pic" or "pis"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pic" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #418,329 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pic" and "pis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pic vs pio". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #418,329 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.