patate

\pa.tat\

/\pa.tat\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“patate” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #12,213 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,213
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Patate douce (plante).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

patate vs pâte
50% similar
patate vs plate
67% similar
patate vs patte
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for patate
PropertyValue
Headwordpatate
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pa.tat\
Letters6
Frequency rank#12,213
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “patate” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). patate lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for patate is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pa.tat\. Corpus data places it at rank #12,213 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for patate, with forms such as "aptate", "paatte", and "pataet". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pâte", "plate", "patte", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is patate, spelled P-A-T-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Patate douce (plante).
  2. 2
    Racine comestible de cette plante.
  3. 3
    Toute autre plante alimentaire farineuse.
  4. 4
    ou , et Pomme de terre.
  5. 5
    Personne stupide, imbécile, gaffeur.
  6. 6
    Somme d’argent, qui correspond à un million d’anciens francs français, soit dix mille nouveaux francs français.
  7. 7
    Coup violent lors d’une bagarre ou d'un combat.
  8. 8
    Tir ou lancer puissant.
  9. 9
    Très bonne forme physique, pèche, punch.
  10. 10
    Force, puissance, nervosité, dynamisme.
  11. 11
    Massif corallien de forme arrondie et irrégulière.
  12. 12
    Trou dans une chaussette.
  13. 13
    Grosse bille, de plus grande valeur que les billes ordinaires.
  14. 14
    (Gros) nez.
  15. 15
    Pomme d’Adam.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aptate,paatte,pataet,patatte,pattae,pattate,ppatate,ptaate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of patate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

aptate2paatte2pataet2patatte1pattae2pattate1ppatate1ptaate2
Edit distance from "patate"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "patate"?
"patate" is spelled P-A-T-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pa.tat\.
What does "patate" mean?
As a noun, "patate" means: Patate douce (plante).
What words are commonly confused with "patate"?
"patate" is commonly confused with "pâte", "plate", "patte". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "patate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "patate" is \pa.tat\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "patate" come from?
"patate" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “patate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is P-A-T-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pa.tat\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pâte” - see the side-by-side comparison. patate vs pâte
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list