Which to use
“paths” and “pats” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,945
- “paths” frequency rank
- #19,160
- “pats” frequency rank
- 26105
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | paths | pats |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of path | plural of pat |
Where the eye mixes paths and pats
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses paths with pats
A purely visual mix-up. paths (/pɑːðz/) and pats (/pæts/) 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 26105, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
paths is recorded at frequency rank #6,945, classified as anoun, pronounced /pɑːðz/. pats is at rank #19,160, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pæts/.
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 26105, this pair ranks #389,190 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of paths vs pats
Shared letters: apst. Private to "paths": h. Private to "pats": -.
"paths" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "pats" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "paths" and "pats" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "paths" vs "pats" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "paths" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pats" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #389,190 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "paths" and "pats" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pats vs pecs". 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 #389,190 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.