Which to use
“contenedor” is an adjective and “contener” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,106
- “contenedor” frequency rank
- #5,936
- “contener” frequency rank
- 20042
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contenedor | contener |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que contiene. | Llevar en su interior, tener dentro de sí. |
Where the eye mixes contenedor and contener
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: contenedor vs contener
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contenedor is [kõn̪t̪eneˈð̞oɾ] while contener is [kõn̪t̪eˈneɾ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20042, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contenedor is recorded at frequency rank #14,106, classified as anadj, pronounced [kõn̪t̪eneˈð̞oɾ]. contener is at rank #5,936, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪eˈneɾ].
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 20042, this pair ranks #261,051 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contenedor vs contener
Shared letters: cenort. Private to "contenedor": d. Private to "contener": -.
"contenedor" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC · "contener" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- contenedor ← ccontenedor · cnotenedor · conetnedor · conntenedor · conteendor · contendeor · conteneddor · contenedorr
- contener ← ccontener · cnotener · conetner · conntener · conteenr · contenerr · contenner · contenre
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contenedor" for "contener" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "contenedor" or "contener" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "contenedor" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contener" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #261,051 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contenedor" and "contener" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "condenen vs contener". 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 #261,051 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.