Which to use
“paella” and “patilla” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,549
- “paella” frequency rank
- #47,984
- “patilla” frequency rank
- 74533
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | paella | patilla |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Plato cuyos ingredientes básicos son el arroz, el azafrán y el aceite de oliva. Se trata de un sofrito de carne (pollo o conejo), verduras (tomate, judía verde, pimiento), azafrán y aceite, al cual se añade agua y tras un tiempo de cocción, se añade el arroz, continuando la cocción hasta que el arroz absorba todo el caldo. Es típico de Valencia, España, pero tiene numerosas versiones alrededor del mundo. | Pequeña extensión con forma de pata de un objeto, generalmente añadida para fines de sujeción. |
Where the eye mixes paella and patilla
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. paella runs 6 letters (CVVCCV) against patilla's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: paella vs patilla
A purely visual mix-up. paella ([paˈeʝa]) and patilla ([paˈt̪iʝa]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74533, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
paella is recorded at frequency rank #26,549, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈeʝa]. patilla is at rank #47,984, tagged as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪iʝa].
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 74533, this pair ranks #21,143 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of paella vs patilla
Shared letters: alp. Private to "paella": e. Private to "patilla": it.
"paella" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "patilla" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "paella" and "patilla" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "paella" or "patilla" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "paella" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "patilla" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #21,143 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "paella" and "patilla" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "patilla vs puntilla". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #21,143 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.