Which to use
“pata” and “pito” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,417
- “pata” frequency rank
- #43,589
- “pito” frequency rank
- 59006
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pata | pito |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | a fêmea do pato | o mesmo que pinto; franguinho |
Where the eye mixes pata and pito
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. pata and pito follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between pata and pito
A purely visual mix-up. pata (/ˈpa.tɐ/) and pito (['pi.tu]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59006, 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/. pito is at rank #43,589, tagged as anoun, pronounced ['pi.tu].
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 59006, this pair ranks #8,426 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pata vs pito
Shared letters: pt. Private to "pata": a. Private to "pito": io.
"pata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "pito" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pata" for "pito" ever safe?
Frequency check: "pata" vs "pito" - which ranks higher?
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 "pito" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #8,426 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pata" and "pito" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pito vs pix". 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 #8,426 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.