contra
[ˈkõn̪t̪ɾa]
The verdict
“contra” is in the everyday core of Spanish, ranked #129 in Spanish word frequency and used as a preposition.
- #129
- frequency rank, Spanish
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Indica oposición.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | contra |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Preposition |
| IPA | [ˈkõn̪t̪ɾa] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #129 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “contra” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for contra is 6 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈkõn̪t̪ɾa]. Corpus data places it at rank #129 in overall Spanish word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for contra, with forms such as "ccontra", "cnotra", and "conntra". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Cota", "cora", "costa", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is contra, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A.
Definition
- 1Indica oposición.
- 2Indica la dirección del movimiento.
- 3Indica dirección opuesta a algo que se mueve.
- 4Indica una posición opuesta.
- 5Indica que algo está apoyado en otra cosa.
- 6Indica que una cosa va por otra.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccontra,cnotra,conntra,conrta,contrra,conttra,cotnra,ocntra
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contra - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "contra"?
What does "contra" mean?
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Using “contra”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is C-O-N-T-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈkõn̪t̪ɾa] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Cota” - see the side-by-side comparison. contra vs Cota
- Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.