contóvscontuvoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,598
“contó” frequency rank
#43,482
“contuvo” frequency rank
46080
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contó contuvo
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de contar. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de contener o de contenerse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contó and contuvo apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
contó
7 ch
contuvo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. contó ([kõn̪ˈt̪o]) and contuvo ([kõn̪ˈt̪uβ̞o]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46080, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contó is recorded at frequency rank #2,598, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪o]. contuvo is at rank #43,482, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪uβ̞o].

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 46080, this pair ranks #127,788 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of contó vs contuvo

Shared letters: cnot. Private to "contó": ó. Private to "contuvo": uv.

"contó" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "contuvo" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • contuvoccontuvo · cnotuvo · conntuvo · conttuvo · contubo · contuov · contuvvo · contvuo

Frequency comparison

contó#2,598
contuvo#43,482

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contó" and "contuvo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõn̪ˈt̪o] versus [kõn̪ˈt̪uβ̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "contó" or "contuvo"?
"contó" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,598 in our Spanish list, against #43,482 for "contuvo". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering contó vs contuvo

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 “contó” 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