Which to use
“pâtés” and “pts” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,137
- “pâtés” frequency rank
- #13,041
- “pts” frequency rank
- 45178
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pâtés | pts |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de pâté. | Pluriel de pᵗ. |
Where the eye mixes pâtés and pts
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pâtés with pts
A purely visual mix-up. pâtés (\pɑ.te\) and pts (\pɔ̃\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45178, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pâtés is recorded at frequency rank #32,137, classified as anoun, pronounced \pɑ.te\. pts is at rank #13,041, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pɔ̃\.
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 45178, this pair ranks #204,771 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pâtés vs pts
Shared letters: pst. Private to "pâtés": âé. Private to "pts": -.
"pâtés" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "pts" · 3 letters · shape CCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pâtés" for "pts" ever safe?
Which is more common, "pâtés" or "pts"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pâtés" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pts" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #204,771 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pâtés" and "pts" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pâtés vs pètes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #204,771 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.