Which to use
“contactar” and “contratar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,837
- “contactar” frequency rank
- #5,931
- “contratar” frequency rank
- 17768
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contactar | contratar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ter contato: | combinar, ajustar |
Where the eye mixes contactar and contratar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. contactar (CVCCVCCVC) and contratar (CVCCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses contactar with contratar
A purely visual mix-up. contactar (/kõ.tɐˈk.taɾ/) and contratar (/kõ.tɾɐ.ˈtaɾ/) 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 17768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contactar is recorded at frequency rank #11,837, classified as averb, pronounced /kõ.tɐˈk.taɾ/. contratar is at rank #5,931, tagged as averb, pronounced /kõ.tɾɐ.ˈtaɾ/.
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 17768, this pair ranks #53,389 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contactar vs contratar
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contactar": -. Private to "contratar": -.
"contactar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "contratar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contactar" and "contratar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "contactar" or "contratar"?
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 "contactar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contratar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #53,389 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contactar" and "contratar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contactar vs contagiar". 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 #53,389 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.