Which to use
“contener” and “convencer” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,936
- “contener” frequency rank
- #5,481
- “convencer” frequency rank
- 11417
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contener | convencer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Llevar en su interior, tener dentro de sí. | Forzar o persuadir a otra persona con argumentos y pruebas a que piense o proceda de acuerdo con éstos. |
Where the eye mixes contener and convencer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses contener with convencer
A purely visual mix-up. contener ([kõn̪t̪eˈneɾ]) and convencer ([kõmbẽnˈseɾ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11417, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contener is recorded at frequency rank #5,936, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪eˈneɾ]. convencer is at rank #5,481, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmbẽnˈseɾ].
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 11417, this pair ranks #295,199 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contener vs convencer
Shared letters: cenor. Private to "contener": t. Private to "convencer": v.
"contener" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "convencer" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contener" for "convencer" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "contener" or "convencer" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "contener" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "convencer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #295,199 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contener" and "convencer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "convencer vs convencerse". 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 #295,199 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.