contadasvscontratasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: contadas is a participle, contratas is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“contadas” is a participle and “contratas” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,197
“contadas” frequency rank
#38,025
“contratas” frequency rank
56222
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contadas contratas
Definition Forma del femenino plural de contado, participio de contar. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de contratar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contadas and contratas apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
contadas
9 ch
contratas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

contadas and contratas form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contadas is recorded at frequency rank #18,197, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪að̞as]. contratas is at rank #38,025, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪as].

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 56222, this pair ranks #75,506 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

contadas#18,197
contratas#38,025

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contadas" and "contratas" be used interchangeably?
No, "contadas" and "contratas" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering contadas vs contratas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a participle, it's “contadas”; for a verb, it's “contratas”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contadas” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list