Which to use
“contaba” and “contar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,872
- “contaba” frequency rank
- #1,192
- “contar” frequency rank
- 6064
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contaba | contar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de contar. | Enumerar un grupo de cosas pertenecientes a la misma clase. |
Where the eye mixes contaba and contar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses contaba with contar
A purely visual mix-up. contaba ([kõn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and contar ([kõn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6064, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contaba is recorded at frequency rank #4,872, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]. contar is at rank #1,192, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪aɾ].
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 6064, this pair ranks #311,875 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contaba vs contar
Shared letters: acnot. Private to "contaba": b. Private to "contar": r.
"contaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "contar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "contaba" and "contar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "contaba" or "contar" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "contaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #311,875 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contaba" and "contar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "constará vs contaba". 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 #311,875 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.