PatzervsPlatzesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Patzer” and “Platzes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#37,126
“Patzer” frequency rank
#14,384
“Platzes” frequency rank
51510
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Patzer Platzes
Definition nicht schwerwiegender Fehler Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Platz

Where the eye mixes Patzer and Platzes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Patzer runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Platzes's 7 (CCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Patzer
7 ch
Platzes

Look-alike desk: Patzer vs Platzes

A purely visual mix-up. Patzer ([ˈpat͡sɐ]) and Platzes ([ˈplat͡səs]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51510, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Patzer is recorded at frequency rank #37,126, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpat͡sɐ]. Platzes is at rank #14,384, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈplat͡səs].

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 51510, this pair ranks #1,132,751 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Patzer vs Platzes

Shared letters: aeptz. Private to "Patzer": r. Private to "Platzes": ls.

"Patzer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Platzes" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Patzer ← aptzer · patezr · pattzer · patzerr · patzre · patzzer · pazter · ppatzer
  • Platzes ← lpatzes · paltzes · platezs · plattzes · platzess · platzse · platzzes · plaztes

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Patzer" for "Platzes" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpat͡sɐ] versus [ˈplat͡səs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Patzer" vs "Platzes" - which ranks higher?
"Platzes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,384 in our German list, against #37,126 for "Patzer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Patzer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Platzes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,132,751 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Patzer" and "Platzes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Patzer vs platter". 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 #1,132,751 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list