Which to use
“pata” and “patroa” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,417
- “pata” frequency rank
- #17,599
- “patroa” frequency rank
- 33016
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pata | patroa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | a fêmea do pato | feminino de patrão |
Where the eye mixes pata and patroa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. pata runs 4 letters (CVCV) against patroa's 6 (CVCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: pata vs patroa
A purely visual mix-up. pata (/ˈpa.tɐ/) and patroa (/pɐ.ˈtɾo.ɐ/) 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 33016, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pata is recorded at frequency rank #15,417, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpa.tɐ/. patroa is at rank #17,599, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɐ.ˈtɾo.ɐ/.
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 33016, this pair ranks #34,618 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pata vs patroa
Shared letters: apt. Private to "pata": -. Private to "patroa": or.
"pata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "patroa" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pata" for "patroa" ever safe?
Frequency check: "pata" vs "patroa" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pata" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "patroa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #34,618 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pata" and "patroa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pastar vs pata". 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 #34,618 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.