# parent vs patent

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### parent
*noun · IPA /ˈpɛəɹənt/ · frequency rank #2,636*
A person who raises a child (which they have made, adopted, fostered, taken as their own, etc.).

### patent
*noun · IPA /ˈpeɪtənt/ · frequency rank #5,345*
An official document granting an appointment, privilege, or right, or some property or title; letters patent.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/parent-vs-patent