Which to use
“patted” is a verb and “pitted” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,148
- “patted” frequency rank
- #23,631
- “pitted” frequency rank
- 60779
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patted | pitted |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of pat | Having a surface marked by pits; pockmarked or alveolate. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set patted and pitted apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: patted is averb and pittedanadjective. On the page they differ by a single letter - a in “patted” becomes i in “pitted”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60779, 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/. pitted is at rank #23,631, tagged as anadj.
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 60779, this pair ranks #98,116 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of patted vs pitted
Shared letters: dept. Private to "patted": a. Private to "pitted": i.
"patted" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "pitted" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "patted" and "pitted" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "patted" or "pitted"?
Remembering patted vs pitted
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “patted”; for an adjective, it's “pitted”.
- 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