contrastarvscontratarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#25,579
“contrastar” frequency rank
#5,189
“contratar” frequency rank
30768
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contrastar contratar
Definition Distinguirse claramente una cosa de otra, siendo opuestas en algún respecto. Realizar un acuerdo, pacto o contrato.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contrastar and contratar apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
contrastar
9 ch
contratar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. contrastar ([kõn̪t̪ɾasˈt̪aɾ]) and contratar ([kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contrastar is recorded at frequency rank #25,579, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ɾasˈt̪aɾ]. contratar is at rank #5,189, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ].

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 30768, this pair ranks #210,379 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of contrastar vs contratar

Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contrastar": s. Private to "contratar": -.

"contrastar" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "contratar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • contrastarccontrastar · cnotrastar · conntrastar · conrtastar · contarstar · contrasatr · contrasstar · contrastarr
  • contratarccontratar · cnotratar · conntratar · conrtatar · contartar · contraatr · contratarr · contratra

Frequency comparison

contrastar#25,579
contratar#5,189

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contrastar" and "contratar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõn̪t̪ɾasˈt̪aɾ] versus [kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "contrastar" or "contratar"?
"contratar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,189 in our Spanish list, against #25,579 for "contrastar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering contrastar vs contratar

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 “contrastar” 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