Which to use
“pagana” and “patata” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,245
- “pagana” frequency rank
- #16,664
- “patata” frequency rank
- 53909
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pagana | patata |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pieza de madera de roble de treinta pies de longitud y con una escuadría de doce pulgadas de tabla por diez de canto. | (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. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pagana and patata apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
pagana and patata form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53909, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pagana is recorded at frequency rank #37,245, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈɣ̞ana]. patata is at rank #16,664, tagged as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪at̪a].
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 53909, this pair ranks #85,664 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pagana" and "patata" be used interchangeably?
Remembering pagana vs patata
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 “pagana” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable