Which to use
“patchy” is an adjective and “paths” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,695
- “patchy” frequency rank
- #6,945
- “paths” frequency rank
- 38640
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patchy | paths |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Full of, or covered with, patches; abounding in patches. | plural of path |
Where the eye mixes patchy and paths
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses patchy with paths
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: patchy is /ˈpæt͡ʃi/ while paths is /pɑːðz/. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38640, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patchy is recorded at frequency rank #31,695, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈpæt͡ʃi/. paths is at rank #6,945, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɑːðz/.
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 38640, this pair ranks #284,117 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of patchy vs paths
Shared letters: ahpt. Private to "patchy": cy. Private to "paths": s.
"patchy" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "paths" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "patchy" and "paths" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "patchy" or "paths"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "patchy" and "paths" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "patchy" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "paths" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #284,117 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "patchy" and "paths" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "patchy vs pithy". 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 #284,117 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.