Which to use
“contratar” is a verb and “contrato” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,189
- “contratar” frequency rank
- #1,261
- “contrato” frequency rank
- 6450
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contratar | contrato |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Realizar un acuerdo, pacto o contrato. | Acuerdo de palabra o por escrito mediante el que las partes implicadas se obligan mutuamente a llevar a cabo lo pactado y cuyo incumplimiento puede llevar a su ejecución forzada o a través de algún tipo de autoridad. |
Where the eye mixes contratar and contrato
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: contratar vs contrato
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contratar is [kõn̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ] while contrato is [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6450, 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]. contrato is at rank #1,261, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪o].
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 6450, this pair ranks #310,739 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contratar vs contrato
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contratar": -. Private to "contrato": -.
"contratar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC · "contrato" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contratar" and "contrato" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "contratar" vs "contrato" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "contrato" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #310,739 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contratar" and "contrato" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "constató vs contrato". 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 #310,739 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.