contratadovscontrataronWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,532
“contratado” frequency rank
#21,617
“contrataron” frequency rank
29149
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contratado contrataron
Definition Participio de contratar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de contratar.

Where the eye mixes contratado and contrataron

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. contratado runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCVCV) against contrataron's 11 (CVCCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
contratado
11 ch
contrataron

Visual trap between contratado and contrataron

A purely visual mix-up. contratado ([kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪að̞o]) and contrataron ([kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾõn]) 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 29149, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contratado is recorded at frequency rank #7,532, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪að̞o]. contrataron is at rank #21,617, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾõn].

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 29149, this pair ranks #218,444 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of contratado vs contrataron

Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contratado": d. Private to "contrataron": -.

"contratado" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCV  ·  "contrataron" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • contratadoccontratado · cnotratado · conntratado · conrtatado · contartado · contraatdo · contrataddo · contrataod
  • contrataronccontrataron · cnotrataron · conntrataron · conrtataron · contartaron · contraatron · contrataorn · contratarno

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contratado" and "contrataron" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪að̞o] versus [kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "contratado" vs "contrataron" - which ranks higher?
"contratado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,532 in our Spanish list, against #21,617 for "contrataron". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "contratado" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "contrataron" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #218,444 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "contratado" and "contrataron" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contratamos vs contrataron". 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 #218,444 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list