Which to use
“patch” and “patin” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,274
- “patch” frequency rank
- #23,309
- “patin” frequency rank
- 41583
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patch | patin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Section de code que l’on ajoute à un logiciel, pour y apporter des modifications mineures. | Sorte de semelle fort épaisse que l’on porte pour faire certains travaux de ménage ou pour se préserver de l’humidité. |
Where the eye mixes patch and patin
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: patch vs patin
A purely visual mix-up. patch (\patʃ\) and patin (\pa.tɛ̃\) 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 41583, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patch is recorded at frequency rank #18,274, classified as anoun, pronounced \patʃ\. patin is at rank #23,309, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pa.tɛ̃\.
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 41583, this pair ranks #232,041 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of patch vs patin
Shared letters: apt. Private to "patch": ch. Private to "patin": in.
"patch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "patin" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "patch" and "patin" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "patch" or "patin"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "patch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "patin" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #232,041 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "patch" and "patin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "palin vs patin". 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 #232,041 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.