patasvspatchWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#4,734
“patas” frequency rank
#39,373
“patch” frequency rank
44107
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature patas patch
Definition Forma del plural de pata. Parche.

Where the eye mixes patas and patch

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
patas
5 ch
patch

Look-alike desk: patas vs patch

A purely visual mix-up. patas ([ˈpat̪as]) and patch (/pætʃ/) 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 44107, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

patas is recorded at frequency rank #4,734, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpat̪as]. patch is at rank #39,373, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pætʃ/.

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 44107, this pair ranks #138,869 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of patas vs patch

Shared letters: apt. Private to "patas": s. Private to "patch": ch.

"patas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "patch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pataspaats · patass · pattas · ppatas · ptaas
  • patchaptch · pacth · patcch · patchh · pathc · pattch · ppatch · ptach

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "patas" and "patch" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpat̪as] versus /pætʃ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "patas" or "patch" show up more?
"patas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,734 in our Spanish list, against #39,373 for "patch". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "patas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "patch" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #138,869 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "patas" and "patch" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "parca vs patch". 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 #138,869 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