Which to use
“patán” is an adjective and “portan” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,908
- “patán” frequency rank
- #23,904
- “portan” frequency rank
- 63812
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patán | portan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Falto de inteligencia y cultura. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de portar o de portarse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set patán and portan apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: patán is [paˈt̪ãn] while portan is [ˈpoɾt̪ãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63812, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patán is recorded at frequency rank #39,908, classified as anadj, pronounced [paˈt̪ãn]. portan is at rank #23,904, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpoɾt̪ãn].
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 63812, this pair ranks #47,522 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of patán vs portan
Shared letters: anpt. Private to "patán": á. Private to "portan": or.
"patán" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "portan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- portan ← oprtan · poratn · porrtan · portann · portna · porttan · potran · pportan
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "patán" and "portan" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "patán" or "portan"?
Remembering patán vs portan
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “patán”; for a verb, it's “portan”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “patán” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable