Which to use
“contaba” is a verb and “contra” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,872
- “contaba” frequency rank
- #129
- “contra” frequency rank
- 5001
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contaba | contra |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de contar. | Indica oposición. |
Where the eye mixes contaba and contra
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: contaba vs contra
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contaba is [kõn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a] while contra is [ˈkõn̪t̪ɾa]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5001, 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]. contra is at rank #129, tagged as aprep, pronounced [ˈkõn̪t̪ɾa].
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 5001, this pair ranks #314,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contaba vs contra
Shared letters: acnot. Private to "contaba": b. Private to "contra": r.
"contaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "contra" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contaba" for "contra" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "contaba" or "contra" 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 "contaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contra" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #314,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contaba" and "contra" 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 #314,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.