patata

[paˈt̪at̪a]

/[paˈt̪at̪a]/ noun

The verdict

“patata” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #16,664 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,664
frequency rank, Spanish
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Solanum tuberosum) Planta herbácea, caducifolia, de la familia de las solanáceas, de tallo erecto o decumbente de hasta 1 m de largo, hojas imparipinnadas, de foliolos lanceolados, pilosas, y flor...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

patata vs plata
67% similar
patata vs pauta
67% similar
patata vs patea
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for patata
PropertyValue
Headwordpatata
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[paˈt̪at̪a]
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,664
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “patata” sits in Spanish frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). patata lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for patata is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [paˈt̪at̪a]. Corpus data places it at rank #16,664 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for patata, with forms such as "aptata", "paatta", and "pataat". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "plata", "pauta", "patea", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct Spanish form is patata, spelled P-A-T-A-T-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Solanum tuberosum) Planta herbácea, caducifolia, de la familia de las solanáceas, de tallo erecto o decumbente de hasta 1 m de largo, hojas imparipinnadas, de foliolos lanceolados, pilosas, y flores en inflorescencias terminales racemosas, de pétalos fusionados de color blanco a púrpura, que fructifican en pequeñas bayas. Se la aprecia por los tubérculos que produce su sistema radical, muy usados en gastronomía.
  2. 2
    Tubérculo comestible de la patata₁, producido por el engrosamiento de sus tallos subterráneos, de pulpa firme de color claro y piel delgada del verde al castaño, apreciado como alimento.
  3. 3
    Cosa cualquiera de poco valor o calidad.
  4. 4
    Órgano de los animales que se ocupa de bombear la sangre.
  5. 5
    (Ipomoea batatas) Planta herbácea de la familia de las convolvuláceas, de origen latinoamericano y extensamente cultivada por su raíz tuberosa, empleada en gastronomía. Es una enredadera perenne, de hojas cordiformes o palmatilobuladas, alternas, pecioladas, y flores simpétalas, pentámeras, de buen tamaño y muy atractivas. La raíz es larga y fusiforme, con la piel pardorrojiza a púrpura, y pulpa similarmente variable. Cultivada en América desde la época precolombina, llegó a Europa en el siglo XVI y se ha difundido ampliamente en todo el mundo.
  6. 6
    Raíz comestible, en forma de tubérculo, de la patata₅. Es rica en fécula y fibra, y de sabor dulce que permite su uso en una gran variedad de preparaciones, tanto de plato como de postre.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aptata,paatta,pataat,patatta,pattaa,pattata,ppatata,ptaata

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of patata - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

aptata2paatta2pataat2patatta1pattaa2pattata1ppatata1ptaata2
Edit distance from "patata"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "patata"?
"patata" is spelled P-A-T-A-T-A. The IPA pronunciation is [paˈt̪at̪a].
What does "patata" mean?
As a noun, "patata" means: (Solanum tuberosum) Planta herbácea, caducifolia, de la familia de las solanáceas, de tallo erecto o decumbente de hasta 1 m de largo, hojas imparipinnadas, de foliolos lanceolados, pilosas, y flor...
What words are commonly confused with "patata"?
"patata" is commonly confused with "plata", "pauta", "patea". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "patata"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "patata" is [paˈt̪at̪a]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "patata" come from?
"patata" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “patata”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is P-A-T-A-T-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [paˈt̪at̪a] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “plata” - see the side-by-side comparison. patata vs plata
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list