Which to use
“pape” is a noun and “patt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,202
- “pape” frequency rank
- #45,502
- “patt” frequency rank
- 77704
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pape | patt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Papst | Im Schachspiel: nicht im Schach zu stehen, jedoch keinen regelgerechten Zug mehr ausführen können, ohne in ein Schach zu geraten; die Partie wird dann als unentschieden gewertet |
Where the eye mixes pape and patt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. pape (CVCV) and patt (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: pape vs patt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pape is [pap] while patt is [pat]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77704, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pape is recorded at frequency rank #32,202, classified as anoun, pronounced [pap]. patt is at rank #45,502, tagged as anadj, pronounced [pat].
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 77704, this pair ranks #254,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pape vs patt
Shared letters: ap. Private to "pape": e. Private to "patt": t.
"pape" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "patt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pape" and "patt" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "pape" or "patt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "pape" and "patt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "pape" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "patt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #254,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pape" and "patt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "patt vs Pau". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #254,837 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.