Which to use
“condenar” and “contener” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,006
- “condenar” frequency rank
- #5,936
- “contener” frequency rank
- 16942
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | condenar | contener |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pronunciar el juez sentencia imponiendo pena. | Llevar en su interior, tener dentro de sí. |
Where the eye mixes condenar and contener
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses condenar with contener
A purely visual mix-up. condenar ([kõn̪d̪eˈnaɾ]) and contener ([kõn̪t̪eˈneɾ]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16942, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
condenar is recorded at frequency rank #11,006, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪d̪eˈnaɾ]. 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 16942, this pair ranks #274,160 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of condenar vs contener
Shared letters: cenor. Private to "condenar": ad. Private to "contener": t.
"condenar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "contener" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "condenar" and "contener" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "condenar" or "contener" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "condenar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contener" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #274,160 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "condenar" and "contener" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "condenar vs condenen". 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 #274,160 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.