patatasvspatitaWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#9,340
“patatas” frequency rank
#43,163
“patita” frequency rank
52503
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature patatas patita
Definition Forma del plural de patata. Diminutivo de pata

Where the eye mixes patatas and patita

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. patatas runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against patita's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
patatas
6 ch
patita

Visual trap between patatas and patita

A purely visual mix-up. patatas ([paˈt̪at̪as]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52503, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

patatas is recorded at frequency rank #9,340, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪at̪as]. 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 52503, this pair ranks #92,382 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of patatas vs patita

Shared letters: apt. Private to "patatas": s. Private to "patita": i.

"patatas" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "patita" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • patatas ← aptatas · paattas · pataats · patatass · patatsa · patattas · pattaas · pattatas
  • patita ← aptita · paitta · patiat · patitta · pattia · pattita · ppatita · ptaita

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "patatas" for "patita" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([paˈt̪at̪as] versus [paˈt̪it̪a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "patatas" vs "patita" - which ranks higher?
"patatas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,340 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.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "patatas" and "patita" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "patatas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "patita" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #92,382 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "patatas" and "patita" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "patita vs petite". 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 #92,382 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