contratasvscontratenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,025
“contratas” frequency rank
#35,432
“contraten” frequency rank
73457
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contratas contraten
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de contratar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de contratar.

Where the eye mixes contratas and contraten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

9 ch
contratas
9 ch
contraten

Visual trap between contratas and contraten

A purely visual mix-up. contratas ([kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪as]) 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 73457, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contratas is recorded at frequency rank #38,025, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪as]. 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 73457, this pair ranks #23,257 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of contratas vs contraten

Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contratas": s. Private to "contraten": e.

"contratas" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC  ·  "contraten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • contratasccontratas · cnotratas · conntratas · conrtatas · contartas · contraats · contratass · contratsa
  • contratenccontraten · cnotraten · conntraten · conrtaten · contarten · contraetn · contratenn · contratne

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contratas" and "contraten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪as] versus [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "contratas" or "contraten"?
"contraten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,432 in our Spanish list, against #38,025 for "contratas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "contratas" 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 #23,257 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "contratas" and "contraten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contratamos vs contratas". 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 #23,257 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