Which to use
“contrae” is a verb and “contraste” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,625
- “contrae” frequency rank
- #5,480
- “contraste” frequency rank
- 28105
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contrae | contraste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de contraer o de contraerse. | Comprobación de la veracidad o exactitud de algo. |
Where the eye mixes contrae and contraste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: contrae vs contraste
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contrae is [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾae] while contraste is [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾast̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28105, 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]. contraste is at rank #5,480, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾast̪e].
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 28105, this pair ranks #223,617 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contrae vs contraste
Shared letters: acenort. Private to "contrae": -. Private to "contraste": s.
"contrae" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVV · "contraste" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contrae" for "contraste" ever safe?
Which is more common, "contrae" or "contraste"?
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 "contraste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #223,617 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contrae" and "contraste" 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 #223,617 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.