Which to use
“contra” is a preposition and “contrae” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #129
- “contra” frequency rank
- #22,625
- “contrae” frequency rank
- 22754
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contra | contrae |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Indica oposición. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de contraer o de contraerse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contra and contrae apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contra is [ˈkõn̪t̪ɾa] while contrae is [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾae]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “contra” sits inside “contrae”, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22754, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contra is recorded at frequency rank #129, classified as aprep, pronounced [ˈkõn̪t̪ɾa]. contrae is at rank #22,625, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾae].
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 22754, this pair ranks #248,880 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contra vs contrae
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contra": -. Private to "contrae": e.
"contra" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "contrae" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contra" and "contrae" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "contra" or "contrae"?
Remembering contra vs contrae
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “contra”; for a verb, it's “contrae”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contra” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable