pandillasvspatillasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“pandillas” and “patillas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#18,628
“pandillas” frequency rank
#37,768
“patillas” frequency rank
56396
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pandillas patillas
Definition Forma del plural de pandilla. Forma del plural de patilla.

Where the eye mixes pandillas and patillas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. pandillas runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against patillas's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
pandillas
8 ch
patillas

Visual trap between pandillas and patillas

A purely visual mix-up. pandillas ([pãn̪ˈd̪iʝas]) and patillas ([paˈt̪iʝas]) 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 56396, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pandillas is recorded at frequency rank #18,628, classified as anoun, pronounced [pãn̪ˈd̪iʝas]. patillas is at rank #37,768, tagged as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪iʝas].

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 56396, this pair ranks #74,781 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of pandillas vs patillas

Shared letters: ailps. Private to "pandillas": dn. Private to "patillas": t.

"pandillas" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "patillas" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pandillas ← apndillas · padnillas · panddillas · pandilals · pandilas · pandillass · pandillsa · pandlilas
  • patillas ← aptillas · paitllas · patilals · patilas · patillass · patillsa · patlilas · pattillas

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "pandillas" and "patillas" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([pãn̪ˈd̪iʝas] versus [paˈt̪iʝas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "pandillas" vs "patillas" - which ranks higher?
"pandillas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,628 in our Spanish list, against #37,768 for "patillas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "pandillas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "patillas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #74,781 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "pandillas" and "patillas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "patilla vs patillas". 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 #74,781 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list