Which to use
“patent” is an adjective and “Patenten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,720
- “patent” frequency rank
- #46,191
- “Patenten” frequency rank
- 56911
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patent | Patenten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf eine direkte, praktische Art geschickt im Vorgehen und dabei sympathisch nett | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Patent |
Where the eye mixes patent and Patenten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. patent runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against Patenten's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses patent with Patenten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: patent is [paˈtɛnt] while Patenten is [paˈtɛntn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “patent” sits inside “Patenten”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56911, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patent is recorded at frequency rank #10,720, classified as anadj, pronounced [paˈtɛnt]. Patenten is at rank #46,191, tagged as anoun, pronounced [paˈtɛntn̩].
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 56911, this pair ranks #921,928 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of patent vs Patenten
Shared letters: aenpt. Private to "patent": -. Private to "Patenten": -.
"patent" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "Patenten" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "patent" for "Patenten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "patent" or "Patenten"?
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 "patent" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Patenten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #921,928 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "patent" and "Patenten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Paletten vs Patenten". 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 #921,928 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.