a pattern recognition apparatus and method , the apparatus comprising a correlation calculating circuit for calculating first correlations between each part of a image pattern data and a reference pattern data , the first correlation being expressed as r , where x is a variable factor representing a region storing the part of the image pattern data , and also comprising a second correlation calculating circuit for recognizing the position of a pattern most identical to the reference pattern by emphasizing the maximum value of the first correlations by converting each of the first correlations r into a second correlation expressed as - r ]-- r ], where α is a predetermined value determined in accordance with the size of the reference pattern data .