Which to use
“Pass” is a noun and “patt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,315
- “Pass” frequency rank
- #45,502
- “patt” frequency rank
- 47817
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pass | patt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dokument, das für Auslandsreisen erforderlich ist, falls es zwischen dem Heimatland und dem Zielland keine Sondervereinbarungen gibt; Reisepass | 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 Pass and patt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Pass with patt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Pass is [pas] 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 47817, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pass is recorded at frequency rank #2,315, classified as anoun, pronounced [pas]. 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 47817, this pair ranks #1,270,887 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Pass vs patt
Shared letters: ap. Private to "Pass": s. Private to "patt": t.
"Pass" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "patt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Pass" and "patt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Pass" or "patt"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Pass" 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 #1,270,887 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pass" 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 #1,270,887 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.