Which to use
“patched” is an adjective and “patted” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,763
- “patched” frequency rank
- #37,148
- “patted” frequency rank
- 59911
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patched | patted |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Having been repaired with a patch or patches. | simple past and past participle of pat |
Where the eye mixes patched and patted
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. patched runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against patted's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: patched vs patted
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: patched is /pæt͡ʃt/ while patted is /ˈpatɪd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59911, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patched is recorded at frequency rank #22,763, classified as anadj, pronounced /pæt͡ʃt/. patted is at rank #37,148, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈpatɪd/.
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 59911, this pair ranks #103,342 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of patched vs patted
Shared letters: adept. Private to "patched": ch. Private to "patted": -.
"patched" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "patted" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "patched" and "patted" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "patched" vs "patted" - which ranks higher?
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 "patched" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "patted" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #103,342 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "patched" and "patted" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pared vs patted". 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 #103,342 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.