pateovspotesWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#46,713
“pateo” frequency rank
#48,003
“potes” frequency rank
94716
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pateo potes
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de patear. Forma del plural de pote.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
pateo
5 ch
potes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pateo is [paˈt̪eo] while potes is [ˈpot̪es]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 94716, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pateo is recorded at frequency rank #46,713, classified as averb, pronounced [paˈt̪eo]. potes is at rank #48,003, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpot̪es].

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 94716, this pair ranks #731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of pateo vs potes

Shared letters: eopt. Private to "pateo": a. Private to "potes": s.

"pateo" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "potes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pateoapteo · paeto · patoe · patteo · ppateo · ptaeo
  • potesoptes · poets · potess · pottes · ppotes · ptoes

Frequency comparison

pateo#46,713
potes#48,003

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pateo" and "potes" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pateo" is a verb and "potes" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "pateo" or "potes"?
"pateo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #46,713 in our Spanish list, against #48,003 for "potes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pateo vs potes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “pateo”; for a noun, it's “potes”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pateo” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list