Which to use
“patten” and “patter” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,358
- “patten” frequency rank
- #38,547
- “patter” frequency rank
- 71905
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patten | patter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Any of various types of footwear with thick soles, often used to elevate the foot, especially wooden clogs. | A soft repeated sound, as of rain falling, or feet walking on a hard surface. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set patten and patter apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. patten (/ˈpat(ə)n/) and patter (/ˈpæt.ə/) 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 a single letter - n in “patten” becomes r in “patter”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71905, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patten is recorded at frequency rank #33,358, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpat(ə)n/. patter is at rank #38,547, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpæt.ə/.
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 71905, this pair ranks #44,941 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of patten vs patter
Shared letters: aept. Private to "patten": n. Private to "patter": r.
"patten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "patter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "patten" and "patter" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "patten" or "patter"?
Remembering patten vs patter
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “patten” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable