contastevscontesteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: contaste is a verb, conteste is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“contaste” is a verb and “conteste” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#34,027
“contaste” frequency rank
#14,799
“conteste” frequency rank
48826
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contaste conteste
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de contar. Se dice de quien declara lo mismo que otro testigo ha declarado, sin discrepar en nada.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
contaste
8 ch
conteste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contaste is [kõn̪ˈt̪ast̪e] while conteste is [kõn̪ˈt̪est̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “contaste” becomes e in “conteste”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48826, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contaste is recorded at frequency rank #34,027, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ast̪e]. conteste is at rank #14,799, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪est̪e].

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 48826, this pair ranks #112,309 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of contaste vs conteste

Shared letters: cenost. Private to "contaste": a. Private to "conteste": -.

"contaste" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "conteste" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • contasteccontaste · cnotaste · conatste · conntaste · contaset · contasste · contastte · contatse
  • contestecconteste · cnoteste · conetste · connteste · conteset · contesste · contestte · contetse

Frequency comparison

contaste#34,027
conteste#14,799

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contaste" and "conteste" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "contaste" is a verb and "conteste" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "contaste" or "conteste"?
"conteste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,799 in our Spanish list, against #34,027 for "contaste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering contaste vs conteste

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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