contra

/ˈkõ.tɾɐ/

//ˈkõ.tɾɐ// prep

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“contra” has 8 generated spelling variants in the Portuguese index at frequency #160. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#160
frequency rank, Portuguese
2,140
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - em oposição a

Corpus desk

Index PT-contra · contra · Portuguese

contra · rank #160 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #160
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH tinha

Nearest frequency peer: tinha (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “contra”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “contra” sits against the nearest ranked Portuguese headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

contra vs cota
67% similar
contra vs costa
67% similar
contra vs corta
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for contra
PropertyValue
Headwordcontra
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/ˈkõ.tɾɐ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#160
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Onde “contra” fica na frequência do português

Da esquerda para a direita: o pouco que carrega a fala diária, depois a cauda longa quase invisível.contracai aqui:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

O eixo é logarítmico: cada tick marca cerca de dez vezes menos frequência. Na mesma faixa de raridade aparecem “tinha” (#159), “dar” (#161), “ir” (#162). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around contra (IPA /ˈkõ.tɾɐ/), apreposition. Corpus frequency is #160 among 2,140 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for contra, with forms such as "ccontra", "cnotra", and "conntra". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cota", "costa", "corta", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Portuguese form is contra, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    em oposição a
  2. 2
    em troca de
  3. 3
    em direção a
  4. 4
    defronte de
  5. 5
    junto de
  6. 6
    de encontro

This word in other languages

against(English)contre(Français)dagegen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontra
  • cnotra
  • conntra
  • conrta
  • contrra
  • conttra
  • cotnra
  • ocntra

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contra - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccontra1cnotra2conntra1conrta2contrra1conttra1cotnra2ocntra2
Edit distance from "contra"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "contra"?
"contra" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkõ.tɾɐ/.
What does "contra" mean?
As a preposition, "contra" means: em oposição a
What words are commonly confused with "contra"?
"contra" is commonly confused with "cota", "costa", "corta". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contra" is /ˈkõ.tɾɐ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "contra" come from?
"contra" is a Portuguese word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar Portuguese words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "contra", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Portuguese headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

alguém#150estado#134cidade#124mulher#200

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

apenas8 variantsquanto8 variantssemana8 variantsdepois8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "contra". Here's where to go from here.

  • "contra" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "cota". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #160 among Portuguese headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more Portuguese words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list