Which to use
“Pathos” and “patron” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,066
- “Pathos” frequency rank
- #26,997
- “patron” frequency rank
- 51063
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pathos | patron |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine leidenschaftliche Ergriffenheit oder ein leidenschaftliches Verhalten | Akkusativ Singular des Substantivs patro |
Where the eye mixes Pathos and patron
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Pathos vs patron
A purely visual mix-up. Pathos ([ˈpaːtɔs]) and patron ([ˈpatron]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51063, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pathos is recorded at frequency rank #24,066, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpaːtɔs]. patron is at rank #26,997, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpatron].
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 51063, this pair ranks #1,149,933 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Pathos vs patron
Shared letters: aopt. Private to "Pathos": hs. Private to "patron": nr.
"Pathos" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "patron" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Pathos" for "patron" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Pathos" or "patron"?
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 "Pathos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "patron" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,149,933 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pathos" and "patron" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "patches vs Pathos". 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 #1,149,933 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.