peer and pier are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. peer means “a person who is of equal standing with another in a group”. pier means “a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats”. pier is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈpɪɹ/
1.n.a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
2.n.a nobleman (duke or marquis or earl or viscount or baron) who is a member of the British peerage
3.v.look searchingly
“We peered into the back of the shop to see whether a salesman was around”
/ˈpɪɹ/
| peer | pier | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈpɪɹ/ | /ˈpɪɹ/ |
| Said | pir | pir |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 3 | 3 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | equal, match, compeer | wharf, wharfage, dock |
Full entry for peer · Full entry for pier · More comparisons
1.n.a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
2.n.(architecture) a vertical supporting structure (as a portion of wall between two doors or windows)
3.n.a support for two adjacent bridge spans