Which to use
“pata” and “pista” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,417
- “pata” frequency rank
- #1,903
- “pista” frequency rank
- 17320
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pata | pista |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | a fêmea do pato | parte de um campo de aviação onde aterram e donde levantam aeronaves |
Where the eye mixes pata and pista
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pata with pista
A purely visual mix-up. pata (/ˈpa.tɐ/) and pista (/ˈpiʃ.tɐ/) 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 17320, 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/. pista is at rank #1,903, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpiʃ.tɐ/.
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 17320, this pair ranks #53,952 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pata vs pista
Shared letters: apt. Private to "pata": -. Private to "pista": is.
"pata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "pista" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pata" and "pista" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "pata" or "pista" show up more?
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 "pata" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pista" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #53,952 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pata" and "pista" 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 #53,952 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.