Which to use
“contesten” and “contraten” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,503
- “contesten” frequency rank
- #35,432
- “contraten” frequency rank
- 68935
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contesten | contraten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de contestar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de contratar. |
Where the eye mixes contesten and contraten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. contesten (CVCCVCCVC) and contraten (CVCCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between contesten and contraten
A purely visual mix-up. contesten ([kõn̪ˈt̪est̪ẽn]) and contraten ([kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ẽn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68935, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contesten is recorded at frequency rank #33,503, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪est̪ẽn]. contraten is at rank #35,432, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ẽn].
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 68935, this pair ranks #33,268 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of contesten vs contraten
Shared letters: cenot. Private to "contesten": s. Private to "contraten": ar.
"contesten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "contraten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contesten" for "contraten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "contesten" or "contraten"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "contesten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contraten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #33,268 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contesten" and "contraten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "conecten vs contesten". 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 #33,268 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.