Which to use
“Pate” is a noun and “patt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,335
- “Pate” frequency rank
- #45,502
- “patt” frequency rank
- 64837
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pate | patt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ehrenamt in christlichen Kirchen zur Unterstützung der Eltern bei der religiösen Erziehung und Zeuge bei einer Sakramentsspendung | 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 Pate and patt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Pate (CVCV) and patt (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Pate with patt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Pate is [ˈpaːtə] while patt is [pat]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “Pate” becomes t in “patt”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64837, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pate is recorded at frequency rank #19,335, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpaːtə]. 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 64837, this pair ranks #627,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Pate vs patt
Shared letters: apt. Private to "Pate": e. Private to "patt": -.
"Pate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "patt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pate" for "patt" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Pate" vs "patt" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Pate" 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 #627,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pate" 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 #627,562 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.