Which to use
“contar” and “cortan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,192
- “contar” frequency rank
- #11,941
- “cortan” frequency rank
- 13133
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contar | cortan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Enumerar un grupo de cosas pertenecientes a la misma clase. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de cortar o de cortarse. |
Where the eye mixes contar and cortan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: contar vs cortan
A purely visual mix-up. contar ([kõn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and cortan ([ˈkoɾt̪ãn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they are an anagram pair: the same letters reordered. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13133, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contar is recorded at frequency rank #1,192, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪aɾ]. cortan is at rank #11,941, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkoɾt̪ãn].
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 13133, this pair ranks #289,017 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contar vs cortan
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contar": -. Private to "cortan": -.
"contar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "cortan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contar" for "cortan" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "contar" or "cortan" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "contar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cortan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #289,017 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contar" and "cortan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cortaban vs cortan". 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 #289,017 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.