Which to use
“contentar” is a verb and “contento” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,600
- “contentar” frequency rank
- #3,541
- “contento” frequency rank
- 42141
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contentar | contento |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dar contento. | Gustoso, alegre, satisfecho. |
Where the eye mixes contentar and contento
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses contentar with contento
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contentar is [kõn̪t̪ẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ] while contento is [kõn̪ˈt̪ẽn̪t̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42141, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contentar is recorded at frequency rank #38,600, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]. contento is at rank #3,541, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ẽn̪t̪o].
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 42141, this pair ranks #149,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contentar vs contento
Shared letters: cenot. Private to "contentar": ar. Private to "contento": -.
"contentar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "contento" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contentar" for "contento" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "contentar" or "contento" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "contentar" and "contento" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "contentar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contento" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #149,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contentar" and "contento" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "concertar vs contentar". 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 #149,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.