Which to use
“pai” and “patín” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,489
- “pai” frequency rank
- #46,109
- “patín” frequency rank
- 74598
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pai | patín |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (coloquial) Tarta, quiche | Petrel. |
Where the eye mixes pai and patín
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. pai runs 3 letters (CVV) against patín's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: pai vs patín
A purely visual mix-up. pai ([ˈpɑ̝i̯]) and patín ([paˈt̪ĩn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74598, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pai is recorded at frequency rank #28,489, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpɑ̝i̯]. patín is at rank #46,109, tagged as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪ĩn].
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 74598, this pair ranks #21,032 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pai vs patín
Shared letters: ap. Private to "pai": i. Private to "patín": ntí.
"pai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "patín" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pai" for "patín" ever safe?
Frequency check: "pai" vs "patín" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "patín" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #21,032 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pai" and "patín" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "partían vs patín". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #21,032 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.