contestarvscontestasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“contestar” and “contestas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#4,230
“contestar” frequency rank
#24,805
“contestas” frequency rank
29035
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contestar contestas
Definition Responder por escrito, de palabra o por señas. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de contestar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contestar and contestas apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
contestar
9 ch
contestas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. contestar ([kõn̪t̪esˈt̪aɾ]) and contestas ([kõn̪ˈt̪est̪as]) 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 a single letter - r in “contestar” becomes s in “contestas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29035, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contestar is recorded at frequency rank #4,230, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪esˈt̪aɾ]. contestas is at rank #24,805, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪est̪as].

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 29035, this pair ranks #218,999 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of contestar vs contestas

Shared letters: acenost. Private to "contestar": r. Private to "contestas": -.

"contestar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "contestas" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • contestarccontestar · cnotestar · conetstar · conntestar · contesatr · contesstar · contestarr · contestra
  • contestasccontestas · cnotestas · conetstas · conntestas · contesats · contesstas · contestass · contestsa

Frequency comparison

contestar#4,230
contestas#24,805

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contestar" and "contestas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõn̪t̪esˈt̪aɾ] versus [kõn̪ˈt̪est̪as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "contestar" or "contestas"?
"contestar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,230 in our Spanish list, against #24,805 for "contestas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering contestar vs contestas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contestar” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list