Which to use
“pasos” and “pato” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,952
- “pasos” frequency rank
- #7,894
- “pato” frequency rank
- 9846
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pasos | pato |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | En algunos deportes, en especial el baloncesto y el balonmano, falta que consiste en dar más de tres pasos con la pelota en la mano sin botarla. | Ave palmípeda del orden de las anseriformes, que se encuentra en estado silvestre y es domesticada para aprovechar sus huevos, plumas y carne. |
Where the eye mixes pasos and pato
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: pasos vs pato
A purely visual mix-up. pasos ([ˈpasos]) and pato ([ˈpat̪o]) 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 9846, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pasos is recorded at frequency rank #1,952, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpasos]. pato is at rank #7,894, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpat̪o].
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 9846, this pair ranks #300,645 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pasos vs pato
Shared letters: aop. Private to "pasos": s. Private to "pato": t.
"pasos" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "pato" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pasos" and "pato" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "pasos" vs "pato" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pasos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pato" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #300,645 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pasos" and "pato" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pa'l vs pato". 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 #300,645 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.