Which to use
“patada” and “picada” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,563
- “patada” frequency rank
- #14,914
- “picada” frequency rank
- 23477
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patada | picada |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Golpe dado con el pie o la pata. | Senda estrecha en los montes, y especialmente el paso en los arroyos por donde sólo se puede cruzar a caballo. |
Where the eye mixes patada and picada
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between patada and picada
A purely visual mix-up. patada ([paˈt̪að̞a]) and picada ([piˈkað̞a]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23477, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patada is recorded at frequency rank #8,563, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪að̞a]. picada is at rank #14,914, tagged as anoun, pronounced [piˈkað̞a].
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 23477, this pair ranks #245,612 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of patada vs picada
Shared letters: adp. Private to "patada": t. Private to "picada": ci.
"patada" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "picada" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "patada" and "picada" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "patada" or "picada"?
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 "patada" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "picada" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #245,612 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "patada" and "picada" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "picada vs picados". 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 #245,612 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.