pattvsPlatteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: patt is a adjective, Platte is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“patt” is an adjective and “Platte” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#45,502
“patt” frequency rank
#4,638
“Platte” frequency rank
50140
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature patt Platte
Definition 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 relativ dünner, flacher und ebener fester Gegenstand, der überall gleich dick ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set patt and Platte apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
patt
6 ch
Platte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: patt is [pat] while Platte is [ˈplatə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50140, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

patt is recorded at frequency rank #45,502, classified as anadj, pronounced [pat]. Platte is at rank #4,638, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈplatə].

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 50140, this pair ranks #1,185,122 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of patt vs Platte

Shared letters: apt. Private to "patt": -. Private to "Platte": el.

"patt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Platte" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pattaptt · pat · ppatt · ptat
  • Plattelpatte · paltte · platet · pllatte · pltate · pplatte

Frequency comparison

patt#45,502
Platte#4,638

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "patt" and "Platte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "patt" is an adjective and "Platte" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "patt" or "Platte"?
"Platte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,638 in our German list, against #45,502 for "patt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering patt vs Platte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “patt”; for a noun, it's “Platte”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “patt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list