encontrásvsencontrasteWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#42,418
“encontrás” frequency rank
#17,684
“encontraste” frequency rank
60102
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature encontrás encontraste
Definition Segunda persona del singular (vos) del presente de indicativo de encontrar o de encontrarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de encontrar o de encontrarse.

Where the eye mixes encontrás and encontraste

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. encontrás runs 9 letters (VCCVCCCVC) against encontraste's 11 (VCCVCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
encontrás
11 ch
encontraste

Look-alike desk: encontrás vs encontraste

A purely visual mix-up. encontrás ([ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾas]) and encontraste ([ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾast̪e]) 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 60102, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

encontrás is recorded at frequency rank #42,418, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾas]. encontraste is at rank #17,684, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾast̪e].

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 60102, this pair ranks #60,136 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of encontrás vs encontraste

Shared letters: cenorst. Private to "encontrás": á. Private to "encontraste": a.

"encontrás" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC  ·  "encontraste" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • encontrasteecnontraste · enccontraste · encnotraste · enconntraste · enconrtaste · encontarste · encontraset · encontrasste

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "encontrás" for "encontraste" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾas] versus [ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾast̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "encontrás" or "encontraste"?
"encontraste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,684 in our Spanish list, against #42,418 for "encontrás". 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 "encontrás" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "encontraste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #60,136 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "encontrás" and "encontraste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "encontrás vs encontrase". 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 #60,136 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