contadosvscontamosWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#13,419
“contados” frequency rank
#6,997
“contamos” frequency rank
20416
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contados contamos
Definition Forma del plural de contado, participio de contar. Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del presente de indicativo de contar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
contados
8 ch
contamos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

contados and contamos 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 a single letter - d in “contados” becomes m in “contamos” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20416, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contados is recorded at frequency rank #13,419, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪að̞os]. contamos is at rank #6,997, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪amos].

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 20416, this pair ranks #259,428 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

contados#13,419
contamos#6,997

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contados" and "contamos" be used interchangeably?
No, "contados" and "contamos" 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 contados vs contamos

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a participle, it's “contados”; for a verb, it's “contamos”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contados” 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