Which to use
“contempla” and “contemplaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,934
- “contempla” frequency rank
- #31,722
- “contemplaba” frequency rank
- 40656
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contempla | contemplaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de contemplar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de contemplar. |
Where the eye mixes contempla and contemplaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between contempla and contemplaba
A purely visual mix-up. contempla ([kõn̪ˈt̪ẽmpla]) and contemplaba ([kõn̪t̪ẽmˈplaβ̞a]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “contempla” sits inside “contemplaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40656, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contempla is recorded at frequency rank #8,934, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ẽmpla]. contemplaba is at rank #31,722, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ẽmˈplaβ̞a].
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 40656, this pair ranks #157,911 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contempla vs contemplaba
Shared letters: acelmnopt. Private to "contempla": -. Private to "contemplaba": b.
"contempla" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCCV · "contemplaba" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- contempla ← ccontempla · cnotempla · conetmpla · conntempla · contemlpa · contemmpla · contempal · contemplla
- contemplaba ← ccontemplaba · cnotemplaba · conetmplaba · conntemplaba · contemlpaba · contemmplaba · contempalba · contemplaab
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contempla" and "contemplaba" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "contempla" or "contemplaba"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "contempla" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contemplaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #157,911 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contempla" and "contemplaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contemplaba vs contempladas". 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 #157,911 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.