Which to use
“contratan” and “contrataron” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,001
- “contratan” frequency rank
- #21,617
- “contrataron” frequency rank
- 44618
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contratan | contrataron |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de contratar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de contratar. |
Where the eye mixes contratan and contrataron
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. contratan runs 9 letters (CVCCCVCVC) against contrataron's 11 (CVCCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between contratan and contrataron
A purely visual mix-up. contratan ([kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ãn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44618, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contratan is recorded at frequency rank #23,001, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ãn]. 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 44618, this pair ranks #136,055 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contratan vs contrataron
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contratan": -. Private to "contrataron": -.
"contratan" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC · "contrataron" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- contratan ← ccontratan · cnotratan · conntratan · conrtatan · contartan · contraatn · contratann · contratna
- contrataron ← ccontrataron · cnotrataron · conntrataron · conrtataron · contartaron · contraatron · contrataorn · contratarno
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contratan" for "contrataron" ever safe?
Which is more common, "contratan" or "contrataron"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "contratan" 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 #136,055 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contratan" 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 #136,055 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.