Which to use
“compra” is a noun and “contra” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,564
- “compra” frequency rank
- #160
- “contra” frequency rank
- 1724
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | compra | contra |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ato ou efeito de comprar | em oposição a |
Where the eye mixes compra and contra
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses compra with contra
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compra is /ˈkõ.pɾɐ/ while contra is /ˈkõ.tɾɐ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1724, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
compra is recorded at frequency rank #1,564, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkõ.pɾɐ/. contra is at rank #160, tagged as aprep, pronounced /ˈkõ.tɾɐ/.
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 1724, this pair ranks #73,787 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of compra vs contra
Shared letters: acor. Private to "compra": mp. Private to "contra": nt.
"compra" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "contra" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "compra" and "contra" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "compra" or "contra"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "compra" and "contra" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "compra" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contra" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #73,787 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "compra" and "contra" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compra vs copta". 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 #73,787 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.