Which to use
“patted” is a verb and “patten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,148
- “patted” frequency rank
- #33,358
- “patten” frequency rank
- 70506
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patted | patten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of pat | Any of various types of footwear with thick soles, often used to elevate the foot, especially wooden clogs. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set patted and patten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: patted is /ˈpatɪd/ while patten is /ˈpat(ə)n/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “patted” becomes n in “patten”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70506, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patted is recorded at frequency rank #37,148, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈpatɪd/. patten is at rank #33,358, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpat(ə)n/.
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 70506, this pair ranks #50,314 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of patted vs patten
Shared letters: aept. Private to "patted": d. Private to "patten": n.
"patted" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "patten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "patted" and "patten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "patted" or "patten"?
Remembering patted vs patten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “patted”; for a noun, it's “patten”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “patted” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable