Which to use
“patch” is a verb and “path” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,666
- “patch” frequency rank
- #30,231
- “path” frequency rank
- 49897
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patch | path |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs patchen | Fußweg, Pfad, Weg |
Where the eye mixes patch and path
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between patch and path
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: patch is [pæt͡ʃ] while path is [pɑːθ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49897, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patch is recorded at frequency rank #19,666, classified as averb, pronounced [pæt͡ʃ]. path is at rank #30,231, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pɑːθ].
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 49897, this pair ranks #1,194,275 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of patch vs path
Shared letters: ahpt. Private to "patch": c. Private to "path": -.
"patch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "path" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "patch" for "path" ever safe?
Which is more common, "patch" or "path"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "patch" and "path" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "patch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "path" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,194,275 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "patch" and "path" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "path 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 #1,194,275 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.