patínvspitónWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,109
“patín” frequency rank
#47,992
“pitón” frequency rank
94101
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature patín pitón
Definition Petrel. Punta del asta de un animal.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
patín
5 ch
pitón

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. patín ([paˈt̪ĩn]) and pitón ([piˈt̪õn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 94101, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

patín is recorded at frequency rank #46,109, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈt̪ĩn]. pitón is at rank #47,992, tagged as anoun, pronounced [piˈt̪õn].

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 94101, this pair ranks #907 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of patín vs pitón

Shared letters: npt. Private to "patín": . Private to "pitón": .

"patín" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "pitón" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequency comparison

patín#46,109
pitón#47,992

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "patín" and "pitón" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([paˈt̪ĩn] versus [piˈt̪õn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "patín" or "pitón"?
"patín" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #46,109 in our Spanish list, against #47,992 for "pitón". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering patín vs pitón

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 “patín” 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