Which to use
“contratar” and “contraten” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,189
- “contratar” frequency rank
- #35,432
- “contraten” frequency rank
- 40621
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contratar | contraten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Realizar un acuerdo, pacto o contrato. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de contratar. |
Where the eye mixes contratar and contraten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses contratar with contraten
A purely visual mix-up. contratar ([kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]) and contraten ([kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ẽn]) 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 40621, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contratar is recorded at frequency rank #5,189, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]. contraten is at rank #35,432, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ẽn].
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 40621, this pair ranks #158,095 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contratar vs contraten
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contratar": -. Private to "contraten": e.
"contratar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC · "contraten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contratar" for "contraten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "contratar" vs "contraten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "contratar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contraten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #158,095 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contratar" and "contraten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contrastan vs contraten". 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 #158,095 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.