Which to use
“contacto” and “contagio” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,191
- “contacto” frequency rank
- #16,060
- “contagio” frequency rank
- 17251
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contacto | contagio |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acción o efecto de tocar o de tocarse. | Acción o efecto de contagiar (transmitir un agente patógeno). |
Where the eye mixes contacto and contagio
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. contacto (CVCCVCCV) and contagio (CVCCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: contacto vs contagio
A purely visual mix-up. contacto ([kõn̪ˈt̪akt̪o]) and contagio ([kõn̪ˈt̪axjo]) 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 17251, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contacto is recorded at frequency rank #1,191, classified as anoun, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪akt̪o]. contagio is at rank #16,060, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪axjo].
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 17251, this pair ranks #272,937 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contacto vs contagio
Shared letters: acnot. Private to "contacto": -. Private to "contagio": gi.
"contacto" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "contagio" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contacto" for "contagio" ever safe?
Which is more common, "contacto" or "contagio"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "contacto" and "contagio" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "contacto" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contagio" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #272,937 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contacto" and "contagio" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contagiado vs contagio". 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 #272,937 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.