Which to use
“contestaba” and “contestan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,127
- “contestaba” frequency rank
- #19,967
- “contestan” frequency rank
- 49094
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contestaba | contestan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de contestar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de contestar. |
Where the eye mixes contestaba and contestan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. contestaba runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCVCV) against contestan's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses contestaba with contestan
A purely visual mix-up. contestaba ([kõn̪t̪esˈt̪aβ̞a]) and contestan ([kõn̪ˈt̪est̪ãn]) 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 49094, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contestaba is recorded at frequency rank #29,127, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪esˈt̪aβ̞a]. contestan is at rank #19,967, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪est̪ãn].
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 49094, this pair ranks #110,757 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contestaba vs contestan
Shared letters: acenost. Private to "contestaba": b. Private to "contestan": -.
"contestaba" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCV · "contestan" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- contestaba ← ccontestaba · cnotestaba · conetstaba · conntestaba · contesatba · contesstaba · contestaab · contestabba
- contestan ← ccontestan · cnotestan · conetstan · conntestan · contesatn · contesstan · contestann · contestna
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "contestaba" and "contestan" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "contestaba" or "contestan"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "contestaba" and "contestan" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "contestaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contestan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #110,757 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contestaba" and "contestan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "conectaba vs contestaba". 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 #110,757 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.