contract

/ˈkɒntɹækt/

//ˈkɒntɹækt// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"contract" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contract” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,216. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,216
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contract · contract · English

contract · rank #1,216 · 13 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,216
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH brain

Nearest frequency peer: brain (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “contract”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “contract” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

contract vs contrast
88% similar
contract vs contrary
75% similar
contract vs contracts
89% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for contract
PropertyValue
Headwordcontract
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒntɹækt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,216
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contract”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).contractlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “brain” (#1,215), “degree” (#1,217), “battle” (#1,214). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contract” is #1,216. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around contract (IPA /ˈkɒntɹækt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,216 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for contract, with forms such as "ccontract", "cnotract", and "conntract". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "contrast", "contrary", "contracts", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English, from Old French contract, from Latin contractus (noun), from contrahere (“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”) [from con- (“with, together”) + trahere (“to draw, to pull”)] + -tus (suffix forming nouns from verbs). The correct English form is contract, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
  2. 2
    An agreement which the law will enforce in some way. A legally binding contract must contain at least one promise, i.e., a commitment or offer, by an offeror to and accepted by an offeree to do something in the future. A contract is thus executory rather than executed.
  3. 3
    The document containing such an agreement.
  4. 4
    A part of legal studies dealing with laws and jurisdiction related to contracts.
  5. 5
    An order, usually given to a hired assassin, to kill someone.
  6. 6
    The declarer's undertaking to win the number of tricks bid with a stated suit as trump.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how contract appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. sign a contract
  2. write up a contract

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French contract, from Latin contractus (noun), from contrahere (“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”) [from con- (“with, together”) + trahere (“to draw, to pull”)] + -tus (suffix forming nouns from verbs).

Synonyms

contract law

This word in other languages

contrato(Español)contrat(Français)Vertrag(Deutsch)contrato(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontract
  • cnotract
  • conntract
  • conrtact
  • contarct
  • contracct
  • contractt
  • contratc
  • contrcat
  • contrract
  • conttract
  • cotnract
  • ocntract

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contract - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccontract1cnotract2conntract1conrtact2contarct2contracct1contractt1contratc2
Edit distance from "contract"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "contract"?
"contract" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒntɹækt/.
What does "contract" mean?
As a noun, "contract" means: An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
What words are commonly confused with "contract"?
"contract" is commonly confused with "contrast", "contrary", "contracts". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contract"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contract" is /ˈkɒntɹækt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "contract"?
From Middle English, from Old French contract, from Latin contractus (noun), from contrahere (“to bring together, to bring about, to conclude a bargain”) [from con- (“with, together”) + trahere (“to draw, to pull”)] + -tus (suffix forming nouns fr... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "contract", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

features#1,219finished#1,220majority#1,227physical#1,231

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

seriously13 variantsdeveloped13 variantscommercial13 variantscontinued13 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list