centenarvscontenerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: centenar is a noun, contener is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“centenar” is a noun and “contener” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#14,092
“centenar” frequency rank
#5,936
“contener” frequency rank
20028
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature centenar contener
Definition Grupo de cien unidades. Llevar en su interior, tener dentro de sí.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set centenar and contener apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
centenar
8 ch
contener

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: centenar is [sẽn̪t̪eˈnaɾ] while contener is [kõn̪t̪eˈneɾ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20028, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

centenar is recorded at frequency rank #14,092, classified as anoun, pronounced [sẽn̪t̪eˈnaɾ]. contener is at rank #5,936, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪eˈneɾ].

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 20028, this pair ranks #261,122 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of centenar vs contener

Shared letters: cenrt. Private to "centenar": a. Private to "contener": o.

"centenar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "contener" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • centenarccentenar · cenetnar · cenntenar · centeanr · centenarr · centennar · centenra · centnear
  • contenerccontener · cnotener · conetner · conntener · conteenr · contenerr · contenner · contenre

Frequency comparison

centenar#14,092
contener#5,936

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "centenar" and "contener" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "centenar" is a noun and "contener" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "centenar" or "contener"?
"contener" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,936 in our Spanish list, against #14,092 for "centenar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering centenar vs contener

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “centenar”; for a verb, it's “contener”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “centenar” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list