patatavspatitaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,664
“patata” frequency rank
#43,163
“patita” frequency rank
59827
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature patata patita
Definition (Solanum tuberosum) Planta herbácea, caducifolia, de la familia de las solanáceas, de tallo erecto o decumbente de hasta 1 m de largo, hojas imparipinnadas, de foliolos lanceolados, pilosas, y flores en inflorescencias terminales racemosas, de pétalos fusionados de color blanco a púrpura, que fructifican en pequeñas bayas. Se la aprecia por los tubérculos que produce su sistema radical, muy usados en gastronomía. Diminutivo de pata

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set patata and patita apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
patata
6 ch
patita

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. patata ([paˈt̪at̪a]) and patita ([paˈt̪it̪a]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - a in “patata” becomes i in “patita”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59827, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

patata is recorded at frequency rank #16,664, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪at̪a]. patita is at rank #43,163, tagged as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪it̪a].

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 59827, this pair ranks #61,198 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of patata vs patita

Shared letters: apt. Private to "patata": -. Private to "patita": i.

"patata" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "patita" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • patataaptata · paatta · pataat · patatta · pattaa · pattata · ppatata · ptaata
  • patitaaptita · paitta · patiat · patitta · pattia · pattita · ppatita · ptaita

Frequency comparison

patata#16,664
patita#43,163

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "patata" and "patita" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([paˈt̪at̪a] versus [paˈt̪it̪a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "patata" or "patita"?
"patata" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,664 in our Spanish list, against #43,163 for "patita". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering patata vs patita

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “patata” 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