Which to use
“patilla” and “puntilla” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,984
- “patilla” frequency rank
- #46,148
- “puntilla” frequency rank
- 94132
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patilla | puntilla |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pequeña extensión con forma de pata de un objeto, generalmente añadida para fines de sujeción. | Tipo de encaje muy angosto hecho en puntas que se coloca para guarnecer los bordes de pañuelos, mangas, toallas, escotes, etc.. |
Where the eye mixes patilla and puntilla
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses patilla with puntilla
A purely visual mix-up. patilla ([paˈt̪iʝa]) and puntilla ([pũn̪ˈt̪iʝa]) 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 94132, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patilla is recorded at frequency rank #47,984, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪iʝa]. puntilla is at rank #46,148, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pũn̪ˈt̪iʝa].
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 94132, this pair ranks #898 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of patilla vs puntilla
Shared letters: ailpt. Private to "patilla": -. Private to "puntilla": nu.
"patilla" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "puntilla" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "patilla" for "puntilla" ever safe?
Which is more common, "patilla" or "puntilla"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "patilla" and "puntilla" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "patilla" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "puntilla" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #898 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "patilla" and "puntilla" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "patilla vs perilla". 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 #898 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.