patinsvspotionsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“patins” and “potions” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#22,643
“patins” frequency rank
#36,105
“potions” frequency rank
58748
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature patins potions
Definition Pluriel de patin. Pluriel de potion.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set patins and potions apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
patins
7 ch
potions

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. patins (\pa.tɛ̃\) and potions (\pɔ.sjɔ̃\) 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 58748, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

patins is recorded at frequency rank #22,643, classified as anoun, pronounced \pa.tɛ̃\. potions is at rank #36,105, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pɔ.sjɔ̃\.

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 58748, this pair ranks #107,159 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of patins vs potions

Shared letters: inpst. Private to "patins": a. Private to "potions": o.

"patins" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "potions" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • patinsaptins · paitns · patinns · patinss · patisn · patnis · pattins · ppatins
  • potionspoitons · potinos · potionns · potionss · potiosn · potoins · pottions · ppotions

Frequency comparison

patins#22,643
potions#36,105

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "patins" and "potions" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\pa.tɛ̃\ versus \pɔ.sjɔ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "patins" or "potions"?
"patins" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,643 in our French list, against #36,105 for "potions". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering patins vs potions

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 “patins” 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