Which to use
“pateta” and “pátria” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,497
- “pateta” frequency rank
- #5,991
- “pátria” frequency rank
- 32488
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pateta | pátria |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | pessoa boba | país em que nascemos |
Where the eye mixes pateta and pátria
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. pateta (CVCVCV) and pátria (CVCCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses pateta with pátria
A purely visual mix-up. pateta (/pa.ˈtɛ.tɐ/) and pátria (/ˈpa.tɾjɐ/) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32488, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pateta is recorded at frequency rank #26,497, classified as anoun, pronounced /pa.ˈtɛ.tɐ/. pátria is at rank #5,991, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpa.tɾjɐ/.
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 32488, this pair ranks #35,309 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pateta vs pátria
Shared letters: apt. Private to "pateta": e. Private to "pátria": irá.
"pateta" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "pátria" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- pateta ← apteta · paetta · pateat · patetta · pattea · patteta · ppateta · ptaeta
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pateta" and "pátria" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "pateta" vs "pátria" - 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 "pateta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pátria" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #35,309 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pateta" and "pátria" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "paletó vs pateta". 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 #35,309 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.