patasvspisasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: patas is a noun, pisas is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“patas” is a noun and “pisas” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,734
“patas” frequency rank
#42,076
“pisas” frequency rank
46810
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature patas pisas
Definition Forma del plural de pata. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de pisar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set patas and pisas apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
patas
5 ch
pisas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: patas is [ˈpat̪as] while pisas is [ˈpisas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46810, 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]. pisas is at rank #42,076, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpisas].

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 46810, this pair ranks #123,596 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of patas vs pisas

Shared letters: aps. Private to "patas": t. Private to "pisas": i.

"patas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "pisas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pataspaats · patass · pattas · ppatas · ptaas
  • pisasipsas · piass · pisass · pissas · ppisas · psias

Frequency comparison

patas#4,734
pisas#42,076

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "patas" and "pisas" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "patas" is a noun and "pisas" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "patas" or "pisas"?
"patas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,734 in our Spanish list, against #42,076 for "pisas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering patas vs pisas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “patas”; for a verb, it's “pisas”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “patas” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list