Which to use
“contrae” and “contraer” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,625
- “contrae” frequency rank
- #15,328
- “contraer” frequency rank
- 37953
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contrae | contraer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de contraer o de contraerse. | Hacer que se ocupe un menor volumen, un menor espacio, sin pérdida de masa, eventualmente aumentando la densidad. |
Where the eye mixes contrae and contraer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. contrae runs 7 letters (CVCCCVV) against contraer's 8 (CVCCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: contrae vs contraer
A purely visual mix-up. contrae ([kõn̪ˈt̪ɾae]) and contraer ([kõn̪t̪ɾaˈeɾ]) 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 extra letter(s) - “contrae” sits inside “contraer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37953, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contrae is recorded at frequency rank #22,625, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾae]. contraer is at rank #15,328, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ɾaˈeɾ].
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 37953, this pair ranks #172,598 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contrae vs contraer
Shared letters: acenort. Private to "contrae": -. Private to "contraer": -.
"contrae" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVV · "contraer" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contrae" for "contraer" ever safe?
Frequency check: "contrae" vs "contraer" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "contrae" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contraer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #172,598 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contrae" and "contraer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contrae vs costra". 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 #172,598 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.