patasvspatínTell them apart

Which to use

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

#4,734
“patas” frequency rank
#46,109
“patín” frequency rank
50843
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature patas patín
Definition Forma del plural de pata. Petrel.

Where the eye mixes patas and patín

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

5 ch
patas
5 ch
patín

Why the eye confuses patas with patín

A purely visual mix-up. patas ([ˈpat̪as]) and patín ([paˈt̪ĩn]) 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 50843, 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]. patín is at rank #46,109, tagged as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪ĩn].

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 50843, this pair ranks #101,050 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of patas vs patín

Shared letters: apt. Private to "patas": s. Private to "patín": .

"patas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "patín" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pataspaats · patass · pattas · ppatas · ptaas

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "patas" and "patín" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpat̪as] versus [paˈt̪ĩn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "patas" vs "patín" - which ranks higher?
"patas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,734 in our Spanish list, against #46,109 for "patín". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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 "patín" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #101,050 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "patas" and "patín" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "partían vs patín". 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 #101,050 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