Which to use
“patterns” and “pattes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,086
- “patterns” frequency rank
- #4,881
- “pattes” frequency rank
- 48967
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patterns | pattes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de pattern. | Pluriel de patte. |
Where the eye mixes patterns and pattes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses patterns with pattes
A purely visual mix-up. patterns (\pa.tɛʁn\) and pattes (\pat\) 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 48967, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patterns is recorded at frequency rank #44,086, classified as anoun, pronounced \pa.tɛʁn\. pattes is at rank #4,881, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pat\.
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 48967, this pair ranks #174,587 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of patterns vs pattes
Shared letters: aepst. Private to "patterns": nr. Private to "pattes": -.
"patterns" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC · "pattes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "patterns" for "pattes" ever safe?
Which is more common, "patterns" or "pattes"?
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 "patterns" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pattes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #174,587 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "patterns" and "pattes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pattern vs patterns". 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 #174,587 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.