Which to use
“contaba” and “cortaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,872
- “contaba” frequency rank
- #44,666
- “cortaban” frequency rank
- 49538
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contaba | cortaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de contar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cortar. |
Where the eye mixes contaba and cortaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between contaba and cortaban
A purely visual mix-up. contaba ([kõn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and cortaban ([koɾˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) 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 49538, 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]. cortaban is at rank #44,666, tagged as averb, pronounced [koɾˈt̪aβ̞ãn].
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 49538, this pair ranks #108,249 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contaba vs cortaban
Shared letters: abcnot. Private to "contaba": -. Private to "cortaban": r.
"contaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "cortaban" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contaba" and "cortaban" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "contaba" or "cortaban"?
What to do next
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 "cortaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #108,249 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contaba" and "cortaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cortaban vs creaban". 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 #108,249 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.