Which to use
“contaba” and “cortaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,872
- “contaba” frequency rank
- #29,567
- “cortaba” frequency rank
- 34439
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contaba | cortaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de contar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cortar o de cortarse. |
Where the eye mixes contaba and cortaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses contaba with cortaba
A purely visual mix-up. contaba ([kõn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and cortaba ([koɾˈt̪aβ̞a]) 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 a single letter - n in “contaba” becomes r in “cortaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34439, 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]. cortaba is at rank #29,567, tagged as averb, pronounced [koɾˈt̪aβ̞a].
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 34439, this pair ranks #191,443 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contaba vs cortaba
Shared letters: abcot. Private to "contaba": n. Private to "cortaba": r.
"contaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "cortaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contaba" for "cortaba" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "contaba" or "cortaba" 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 "cortaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #191,443 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contaba" and "cortaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cortaba vs cortarla". 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 #191,443 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.