Which to use
“contrajo” and “contrata” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,968
- “contrajo” frequency rank
- #12,561
- “contrata” frequency rank
- 32529
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contrajo | contrata |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de contraer o de contraerse. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de contratar. |
Where the eye mixes contrajo and contrata
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between contrajo and contrata
A purely visual mix-up. contrajo ([kõn̪ˈt̪ɾaxo]) and contrata ([kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪a]) 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 32529, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contrajo is recorded at frequency rank #19,968, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾaxo]. contrata is at rank #12,561, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪a].
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 32529, this pair ranks #201,500 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contrajo vs contrata
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contrajo": j. Private to "contrata": -.
"contrajo" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV · "contrata" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contrajo" for "contrata" ever safe?
Which is more common, "contrajo" or "contrata"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "contrajo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contrata" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #201,500 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contrajo" and "contrata" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contrabajo vs contrajo". 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 #201,500 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.