Which to use
“patent” and “patt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,720
- “patent” frequency rank
- #45,502
- “patt” frequency rank
- 56222
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patent | patt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf eine direkte, praktische Art geschickt im Vorgehen und dabei sympathisch nett | 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 patent and patt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. patent runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against patt's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between patent and patt
A purely visual mix-up. patent ([paˈtɛnt]) and patt ([pat]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56222, 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]. 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 56222, this pair ranks #948,641 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of patent vs patt
Shared letters: apt. Private to "patent": en. Private to "patt": -.
"patent" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "patt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "patent" for "patt" ever safe?
Frequency check: "patent" 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 "patent" 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 #948,641 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "patent" 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 #948,641 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.