pattycake
/ˈpætikeɪk/noun
pattycake is spelled P-A-T-T-Y-C-A-K-E: 9 letters. It appears about once in every 32 million words in written English, the 173,967th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pattycake means “A children's game in which two people alternately clap their own and each other's hands, often to the accompaniment of the nursery rhyme "Pat-a-cake…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pattycake?
| Letters | 9: P-A-T-T-Y-C-A-K-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 32 million words; the 173,967th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is pattycake?
Pattycake appears about once in every 32 million words in written English, the 173,967th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pattycake?
- US /ˈpætikeɪk/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of pattycake
- pat-a-cake
- patacake
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pattycake mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A children's game in which two people alternately clap their own and each other's hands, often to the accompaniment of the nursery rhyme "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man".
- 2
colloquialA childish or time-wasting activity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pattycake in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense children's game in which two people alternately clap their own and each other's :
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | adoleta |
| Spanish | arepitas |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.